The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, with whom the capital closes the year, who certify that the capital passes the European air quality examination for the third consecutive year. “Madrid breathes better than ever,” Almeida said, which is true, but until three years ago the city failed to comply with the limit set by the European Union in 1999 and required since 2010 and, as the thresholds have changed and are going to be more strict, it will stop doing so in 2030. Only nine of the 24 air measurement stations in the city would meet the objective that Europe has set for 2030, three of them in large green areas of the city and five are on the verge of exceeding it. Others are still very far away. Plaza Elíptica, the black spot of pollution in Madrid, would have to reduce its emissions by 35% to reach that year’s goal. “This is not going to be done alone,” says Juan Bárcena, spokesperson for Ecologistas en Acción Madrid, who regrets that the municipal government is satisfied with the current results.
According to the records available to the City Council, the capital complies for the third consecutive year with the European Union air quality regulations. “We are therefore consolidating a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable city model for everyone,” said Almeida. None of the 24 measuring stations spread across the city detected that the limit imposed by Brussels of 40 micrograms of carbon nitrogen (NO²) per cubic meter (μg/m³) was exceeded. That limit was approved in 1999 and came into effect in 2010.
From then until 2021, Madrid had always failed to comply. However, the new community regulations state that emissions must be reduced by half, to 20 μg/m³, in 2030. The WHO recommendations to minimize the impact of polluting gases on health are even more demanding. According to that organization, no one should breathe more than 10 μg/m³, a quarter of the current limit.
The opposition asks Almeida for caution when it comes to bringing out the figures. “From the PSOE we will never be able to applaud these data when 2,000 people die in Madrid every year due to pollution,” said socialist councilor Ignacio Benito. In Más Madrid, the “triumphalist” attitude of the municipal government has not been liked either. Her councilor Esther Gómez has accused Almeida of living “off the income from the air quality policies of [la exalcaldesa] Manuela Carmena.
According to Ecologistas en Acción, the entry into force of the and the reduction of emissions during the pandemic were the two key factors for Madrid to reach the objective for the first time. However, they insist that to reach 20 μg/m³ in 2030, the municipal government has to impose more restrictions, something that . “Yes, it is true that the levels are the lowest since there have been records, but we must continue moving forward,” says Bárcena.
Currently, they would comply with nine of the 24 air measurement stations in Madrid. The places with the cleanest air are mostly large green areas, such as El Pardo (11 μg/m³), which is also the furthest from the urban core. They are followed by Casa de Campo (15 μg/m³), Retiro (15 μg/m³) and Urbanización Embajada (18 μg/m³). The other five are at the limit of 20 μg/m³. They are the stations of Tres Olivos, Méndez Álvaro, Arturo Soria, Juan Caros I and Sanchinarro.
Although nitrogen dioxide emissions are reducing, those of other polluting gases, such as tropospheric ozone, are skyrocketing. The 13 stations that measure this gas recorded numbers that far exceed the objective allowed by Europe. “The data indicate that ozone pollution maintains a strong upward trend in Madrid, which contrasts with its downward trend in the rest of Spain,” denounces Ecologistas en Acción through .
