Air pollution statistics - air emissions accounts

The need to supplement information on the economy with environmental indicators has been recognised in a European Commission Communication titled 'GDP and beyond' (COM(2009) 433). Furthermore, similar recommendations have been made within the Report by the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress,the so-called Stiglitz report. The recommendations support the expansion of the statistical understanding of human well-being by supplementing economic indicators such as GDP with additional information, including physical indicators related to the environment.

Air emissions accounts measure the interplay between the economy and the environment with respect to air emissions, in order to assess whether current production and consumption activities are on a sustainable path of development. Measuring sustainable development is a complex undertaking as it has to incorporate economic, social and environmental indicators. The data obtained from air emissions accounts may subsequently feed into political decision-making, underpinning policies that target both continued economic growth and sustainable development, for example, the European Commission's European Green Deal.