Air quality in Barcelona improves for second year in a row

Barcelona's air quality improved in 2024 for the second year in a row, according to a report from the city's air pollution monitoring network. 

The Catalan capital reached the lowest levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), a pollutant mainly linked to traffic, ever recorded. 

The Eixample monitoring station, which usually records the highest levels due to heavy traffic, reduced its NO₂ levels by nearly 6% in one year.

The Gràcia and Sant Gervasi monitoring stations recorded the lowest levels on record. 

The city council attributed the improvement to measures aimed at increasing the use of public transport. 

The implementation of Low Emission Zones (ZBEs), an anti-pollution initiative that restricts access to certain polluting vehicles in large parts of the city, also played a key role.

Deputy mayor Laia Bonet emphasized that the better figures are not due to fewer cars, but to the fact that the vehicles in the city are now less polluting.

According to city council data, the number of less-polluting vehicles, such as electric and hybrid cars, has increased over the past year, while the number of the most polluting vehicles has gradually decreased. 

"We need to accelerate the implementation of ZBEs, and we will do so with a focus on the metropolitan area," said Bonet. 

The new data means that Barcelona will end the year within the pollution limits set by the European Union, as it did in 2023. 

The city council also reported a 32% reduction in the impact of pollution on health between 2020 and 2023. 

However, despite these positive figures, the city must continue to reduce pollution levels in the coming years to meet the new European standards that will come into force in 2030. 

These new limits will be stricter, setting a maximum of 20 µg/m³ - half the current limit.

With these new limits and the current pollution levels in the city, both Eixample and Gràcia-Sant Gervasi would exceed the permitted levels.