For the components carbon monoxide (CO), airborne dust (TPM), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) an inventory of the air quality situation in Western Europe was drawn up. One also determined emission inventories for these components as well as for components relevant to the climate such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and halogenated hydrocarbons (CFHC), in order to reveal the contribution of the individual emitters and to detect a need for action, if necessary. The trend of the NOx emissions shows that a significant decrease of emissions caused by road traffic can only be achieved if the emissions that stem from heavy duty vehicle traffic are reduced traffic are reduced in the future. The emissions caused by passenger car traffic will be reduced to such an extent that in the future the attention should mainly be directed to the reduction of fuel consumption. In this respect all technical possibilities should be taken into account. (A)
Abstract