Press Release: Environment: Commission publishes first inventory of pollution from small or non-industrial sources

The European Commission has published online the first consolidated European inventory of pollution from small, scattered sources such as cars, airplanes, ships, household boilers and small farms. The inventory of EU-wide data on 'diffuse' pollution brings together for the first time information currently held in a range of different inventories. Until now detailed EU-wide emissions data have been compiled only for major industrial sources like factories and power stations. The inventory of diffuse pollution represents an important step towards the development of a future European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (European PRTR), which will allow more effective policymaking. The inventory confirms that emissions to air and water from diffuse sources account for a substantial share of overall pollution, in some cases exceeding releases from big industrial installations. The sectors with the highest emissions from diffuse sources are road transport, domestic heating and agriculture.