Brussels ( Brussels Morning) – Brussels’ air pollution shaves up to five years off life expectancy, disproportionately affecting poorer neighbourhoods, and spurring calls for improved mobility solutions.
Air pollution is the core cause of approximately 1,000 deaths in Brussels every year, and while the Region has enforced measures to improve air quality, the problem remains worrying, especially in more impoverished neighbourhoods.
Road traffic is one of the largest contributors to air pollution in Brussels. Prolonged vulnerability to poor-quality air can lead to a weakening in lung and cognitive capacity, but short-term exposure is also dangerous, with research suggesting an increase in acute health problems, especially strokes. In 2018, the Region presented low-emission zones (LEZs), restricting access to the most polluting automobiles, to address this public health concern.
These have supported achieving a significant reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) but air quality remains unsatisfactory, Federal Minister for the Environment and Climate Zakia Khattabi discussed in Media. “Even today in the 21st century, the life expectancy of a person who was brought up in Saint-Josse-ten-Node is five years lower than a person living in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre because of the quality of the air,” she stated, based on figures from 2020. “That’s unacceptable.”
The differences in pollution based on the socio-economic experiences of neighbourhoods or municipalities were already emphasised in the largest-ever citizen survey on air quality in the Belgian capital two years ago. This indicated that pollution in Brussels often falls along income lines, with the city’s most impoverished and vulnerable households respiring air of a markedly different quality from wealthy residents. This can largely be described by the correlation between wealth and the availability of gardens, which improve air quality, and citizens living near busy roads in poorer neighbourhoods.
A study demonstrated that health risks are higher in restrained neighbourhoods as residents in these areas are twice as likely to die before the age of 75. Reviewing the mobility policy in the capital, Khattabi commented that the “peaceful” neighbourhoods as a result of ‘Good Move’, the Regional Mobility Plan, are a major advancement. This new traffic plan, implemented in the Cities of Brussels, Schaerbeek and Saint-Gilles, among others, enables local mobility and public transport.
In some locations, the Good Move plan was met with complaints, such as in Schaerbeek where there were straight nights of protests when it was first introduced. However, it has been demonstrated to have a positive effect on the number of pedestrians and cyclists, while on the major axes, car traffic has declined. “Around our schools, protection is more guaranteed,” Khattabi reported.
Demonstration of the ‘Non-au plans Good Move’ group to demand a review of the current mobility policies in Brussels, Sunday 11 June 2023. She emphasised that the solution to better air quality lies in enhancing mobility. “There is a functioning public transport network, but it is expensive and inefficient,” she described, adding that persistent investments are needed, not only for STIB within the city but also for the national railway operator SNCB.
“Then we can ensure that both coming to and getting around Brussels is more efficient than coming by car.” She admitted that a large budget is needed for this, and claimed that the Region should focus on improving tram and bus lines and growing frequency, rather than spending all its capital on the controversial Metro 3 line, connecting Evere to Forest.
