The diesel engine of a small truck emits bluish clouds of smoke. (Archive photo: dpa)
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Wiesbaden / Darmstadt / Mainz – First of all, the good news: nationwide, the number of cities in which the nitrogen dioxide level at neuralgic points is too high, mainly due to road traffic, has more than halved in the past year. To Notices from the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Ministry for the Environment only 25 cities exceeded the corresponding EU limit at critical points. In 2018 there were still 57.
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Now the bad news: Zu the 25 cities still belong to Wiesbaden, Mainz, Darmstadt and Frankfurt. According to the Federal Environment Agency, Darmstadt is one of the leading negative groups with Hügelstraße and comes in second place behind Munich with Landshuter Allee. However, the annual concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in Darmstadt decreased considerably in 2019 compared to the previous year, from 67 to 55 micrograms per cubic meter of air. In Landshuter Allee in Munich, the value in 2019 was 63 micrograms. Frankfurt is fifth with 51 micrograms.
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Wiesbaden ranks in the rear of the Federal Environment Agency with 45 micrograms per cubic meter of air on average over the year, measured in Schiersteiner Strasse. Mainz scores best with 42 micrograms in Parcusstrasse out of the 25 cities. In Schiersteiner Straße in Wiesbaden, the concentration was still 48 micrograms in 2018, in Parcusstraße in Mainz 45 micrograms.
The Federal Environment Agency states that the reason for the improvement is speed limits, driving bans or the use of cleaner buses, but also software updates for diesel cars and the renewal of the vehicle fleet. The weather also influences the spread of air pollutants.
Diesel engines are the main source of NO2 in cities. The excessive load is also the reason for a diesel driving ban in many cities.
The annual average nitrogen oxide pollution, which according to the Federal Environment Agency comes from diesel exhaust gases in busy cities, must not exceed 40 micrograms per cubic meter of air. It has been in effect since 2010. Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) welcomed the data: “This shows that environmental policy works,” she said. Nevertheless, the previous measures were not sufficient to really comply with the limit everywhere. “The solution lies in cleaner vehicles and a fundamental change in mobility.”
An overview map with the current measured values of the stations of the Federal Environment Agency is here to find.
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