The four Dublin Local Authorities (Dublin City Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Fingal County Council and South Dublin County Council) are preparing an Air Quality Plan to improve levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in ambient air in Dublin.
Why Are They Doing It?
In 2019 there was an exceedance of the annual limit value for nitrogen dioxide at one of the air quality monitoring stations – St. Johns Road West. All other pollutants measured were within EU limit values. When an exceedance is found, there is a formal process to inform the European Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They then issued a formal notification to the local authorities concerned to prepare the plan.
When Are They Doing It?
The EPA informed the Local Authorities of the need for the new plan for nitrogen dioxide exceedance in December 2020 and a team representing the four Dublin Local Authorities was assembled and is preparing the plan. The final Plan must be completed and issued to the EU Commission by the end of 2021.
What Happens Next?
As an initial step, members of the public are welcome to submit their views on this exceedance of air quality in the Dublin Region and the drafting of the Plan now by email at [email protected] or in writing to, Air Quality Monitoring and Noise Control Unit, Environment & Transportation Department, Block 3 Floor 1, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8.
There will be a period of formal public consultation on the draft Plan later in the year around September/October. This will give interested members of the public the opportunity to share their views and input to the draft plan.
How Does Dublin Compare?
In February 2020 The Dublin Local Authorities signed the UN Breathe Life Charter, which commits them to meeting World Health Organisation air quality guideline values by 2030. In a recent report published by the European Environment Agency, Dublin currently ranks 38 of the 323 cities when it comes to air quality in respect of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – an air pollutant of particular health concern. This shows that the air quality in Dublin is good in many respects as can be seen on the map below.
More information can be found at the link below:
https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/european.environment.agency/viz/City_AQ_Viewer/Dashboard1
| City | Rank | PM2.5 μg/m3 | Population |
| Dublin | 38 | 8.1 | 1,263,035 |
| Marseilles | 88 | 9.3 | 1,042,442 |
| Munich | 103 | 9.5 | 1,346,481 |
| Brussels | 133 | 10.1 | 1,120,167 |
| Copenhagen | 143 | 10.2 | 1,198,689 |
Chart of five cities of similar population size showing their ranking in the City Air Quality Viewer.
Contact Details
Air Quality Monitoring and Noise Control Unit
Telephone Number01 222 2222Email Address[email protected]
