The low emission zone, set up in Brussels in 2018, is starting to bear fruit. According to a Brussels-Environment study, air pollution is decreasing in the capital, which greatly improves air quality over the years. Remember that this zone limits the presence of polluting vehicles in Brussels.
For example, nitrogen oxide emissions have decreased by 31.4% since 2018. Fine particles are also down by 26%. Black carbon, closely linked to diesel vehicles, is in freefall in the air in Brussels, with a 58.6% drop in emissions. “For the second time in a row, the European annual limit for nitrogen dioxide is respected at all measuring stations”even tells us Pascale Hourman, the spokesperson for Bruxelles-Environnement.
The inhabitants of Brussels are also increasingly opting for petrol vehicles, abandoning diesel. “The share of diesel vehicles fell below 40% at the start of the year, it was 62% before the restrictions were introduced”, says Pascale Hourman. The exit of thermal vehicles would prevent, according to them, the death of a hundred people per year.