ZERO says Portugal's air pollution plan barely cuts premature deaths

The public consultation on Portugal's National Air Pollution Control Programme (PNCPA) closed on 7 May, and environmental group ZERO says the draft falls short of protecting public health and meeting EU obligations by 2030. Additional measures would cut PM2.5-related deaths by only 3%, from 1916 to 1858 a year, while deaths linked to nitrogen dioxide and ozone remain unchanged, leaving around 2605 premature deaths annually. ZERO blames the weak result on the lack of structural measures in transport, agriculture and home heating, and warns Portugal risks breaching EU emissions ceilings unless the final plan is substantially strengthened.