The main sources of pollution: what is their impact
When we talk about pollution and fine particles our thoughts usually go to emissions from motor vehicles, but are they really the only source, or at least the main source of particulate matter?
What are the main sources of pollution?
The main sources of pollution responsible for the formation of PM10 and PM2.5 in the city are the following:
- residential heating , which includes the combustion processes of boilers, stoves, etc.;
- transport , which includes emissions from motorcycles, wear of tires, asphalt and brakes;
- agriculture , which includes livestock, fertilizer and bonfires of waste material;
- industry , which includes industrial processes that cause emissions, industrial combustion and energy production industries (thermal power plants, etc);
- natural , such as desert dust and salt;
The blocking of cars, which is usually the measure most adopted in our cities when fine particles exceed the threshold level, therefore certainly has a beneficial effect, but clearly does not solve the problem.
The major causes of pollution in the city
It is no coincidence that the municipality of Milan is moving towards outlawing diesel boilers starting from the winter of 2023 . In fact, residential and commercial heating in the Lombardy city is the cause of just under 30% of the average annual concentration of PM2.5.
This is the situation in many Italian cities.
In the period 2000-2015, overall emissions of PM10 and PM2.5 in the EU-28 area decreased by approximately 25%. However, this decrease was not uniform for all sectors due to pollution. In fact, particulate emissions linked to the residential, commercial and public heating sectors increased by over 10% in the decade 2003-2012. Among the causes of this difference we can consider the fact that while at the level of transport and industry we have moved with more stringent regulations, the heating was less under the magnifying glass.
How much do heating in homes pollute?
The decision of the municipality of Milan is therefore the consequence of an awareness and moves in the direction of targeted interventions for replace domestic heating systems with newer systems with lower emissions and greater energy efficiency.
Another direction of intervention that can have important implications is that of improvement of the energy efficiency of buildings , lower heat losses can lead to significant reductions in heating consumption and consequently to lower emissions.
A third area of intervention, perhaps the one where action can really be taken right away, is that of user awareness: conscious use of energy and less waste can lead to savings of up to 5% ( see the RSE report on pollution of the Po Valley area ).
How to heat your home while polluting less
With this in mind, stick to a temperature in the home that does not exceed 21 °C as recommended by the WHO and avoid waste by regulating the heating with a chronothermostat , can undoubtedly have a significant impact on emissions and costs.
Turning the heating on and off only when needed in a programmed way and maintaining set comfort and reduction temperatures allows you to burn much less fuel and operate the boiler for less time with undoubted advantages in terms of waste reduction.
Observe these small precautions is something that each of us can do and which can immediately have a positive impact on the environment.