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Marked reductions in Denmark’s emissions of polluting gases

Denmark’s emissions of many of the gases, heavy metals and particles reported to the UN Convention for long-range transboundary air pollution (UNECE LRTAP) have been reduced markedly in recent years.

Denmark’s emissions of many of the gases, heavy metals and particles reported to the UN Convention for long-range transboundary air pollution (UNECE LRTAP) have been reduced markedly in recent years, as appears from this year’s emission inventories published by DCE – Danish Centre for Environment and Energy.

The reductions apply to sulphur dioxide, which has been reduced by 97% during the period 1980-2010, to nitrogen oxides, which have been reduced by almost 50% during the period 1985-2010, to ammonia, which has been reduced by 36% during the period 1985-2010, and to carbon monoxide which in 20 years – from 1990 to 2010 – has been nearly halved. The figures appear in the emission inventory report ”Annual Danish Informative Inventory Report to UNECE. Emission inventories from the base year of the protocols to year 2010” submitted to the UN on 15 March.

Improved data in Denmark´s inventory report


At the same time the quality of Denmark’s emission data in the annual inventory reports for the UN convention is continuously improved, one of the reasons being the inclusion of new national and international investigations and research results. Thus, this year’s inventory report includes a number of improvements and recalculations.

Generally, a great effort is made to improve the inventory reports, says chemical engineer Ole-Kenneth Nielsen, DCE – Danish Centre for Environment and Energy, Aarhus University.

”As far as possible we include new investigations and research from Denmark and abroad as basis for the emission estimates, and in the recent inventory report this has led to changes in the form of recalculations, improvements and minor error corrections. This applies to areas such as road transport, stationary combustion plants, agriculture, refineries, air traffic, industrial processes and waste,” says Ole-Kenneth Nielsen.

Gases, metals and particles reported to the LRTAP convention are sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, NMVOC (non-methane volatile organic compounds), ammonia, arsenic, cadmium, chrome, copper, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, zinc, dioxins/furans, HCK, PAH (tar substances), TSP (total suspended particles), PM10 and PM2,5.

Contact: Chemical engineer Ole-Kenneth Nielsen, tel. +45 8715 8478, okn@dmu.dk
DCE – Danish Centre for Environment and Energy
Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University

Annual Danish Informative Inventory Report to UNECE. Emission inventories from the base year of the protocols to year 2010. Nielsen, O.-K., Winther, M., Mikkelsen, M.H., Hoffmann, L., Nielsen, M., Gyldenkærne, S., Fauser, P., Plejdrup, M.S., Albrektsen, R., Hjelgaard, K. & Bruun, H.G. 2012. Aarhus University, DCE – Danish Centre for Environment and Energy, 669 pp. Technical Report from DCE – Danish Centre for Environment and Energy no. 18.

Summaryfull report in PDF format (8,75 MB)

More information about the convention and its most recent protocols