The current measurement data from the Lower Austrian air quality measurement network for 2024 confirm the good air quality in the country. Around 40 measuring points monitor the air quality in Lower Austria 24 hours a day – 365 days a year and show an encouraging long-term trend. LH deputy Stephan Pernkopf is pleased about the excellent air quality in Lower Austria: “The air in Lower Austria has been getting cleaner for years. Fine dust pollution has almost halved since 2006 and has been reduced by a third in the last ten years. Technological progress allows us to breathe deeply.”
Pollutant emissions have fallen by up to 10 percent, the input has remained the same or has only increased slightly due to increased Sahara dust. In a ten-year comparison, emissions have actually fallen by a third.
The current figures from the federal state air pollutant inventory show significant declines in fine dust and nitrogen oxide emissions: PM2.5 emissions are down 9.5%, PM10 emissions are down 7.9% and nitrogen oxide emissions are down 6.2 % decreased.
In the air quality measurement network, which measures pollutant input, average fine dust values of 10 µg/m³ for PM2.5 and 15 µg/m³ for PM10 were recorded in 2024. These preliminary average values are each 1 µg/m³ higher than those of the previous year. This is due to increased Saharan dust input and meteorological fluctuations, which have led to poorer dispersal conditions. For nitrogen dioxide (NO2), the average is 11 µg/m³ and is exactly at the level of the previous year.
In a ten-year comparison (2014 – 2024), a decrease in PM2.5 pollution was recorded from 15 to 10 µg/m³. This corresponds to a reduction of one third. A look at PM10 emissions also shows a significant decline from 20 to 15 µg/m³, i.e. a quarter less in the last ten years. Since the introduction of the Lower Austrian fine dust program in 2006, PM10 fine dust pollution has almost halved from 28 to 15 µg/m³. Nitrogen dioxide emissions show a similar long-term picture: since 2014, NO2 pollution has fallen by around 35%, from 17 to 11 µg/m³. LH deputy Pernkopf states: “Clean air is essential for us and our nature. The decline in air pollutants in Lower Austria is a success story.”
The reasons for the decline are varied. For example, switching to lower-emission fuels and replacing old heating systems with new technologies contribute to the reduction. In the agricultural sector, emissions have been reduced through technological advances in mobile agricultural and forestry equipment. The transport sector is also becoming less polluting thanks to new technologies.
Further information and current measurement data every half hour can be found on the air quality homepage www.numbis.at or via the Lower Austrian state homepage with direct access www.noel.gv.at/luft.
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