The Atmo Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regional observatory has just published a report highlighting the territories in which air quality has improved the most between 2019 and 2023. The prize for urban areas goes to Lyon, ahead of Grenoble and Annemasse. Among the measures that have contributed to this state of affairs, ATMO cites aid for replacing old wood heating systems, low-emission zones and “air climate” projects, initiatives led by communities.
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It’s a podium that will perhaps get people talking during end-of-year meals: that of the metropolises whose air quality has improved the most significantly between 2019 and 2023. A “top 3”, according to ATMO Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes which highlights Lyon, Grenoble and Annemasse.
Among the positive figures to remember: the drop of 27% on average in large cities, the most exposed to air pollution and nitrogen dioxides (NO₂), originating mainly, in urbanized areas, from automobile traffic.
To explain this decline, the observatory puts forward the hypothesis of the establishment of ZFEs (Lyon, Grenoble and Annemasse) these areas to which access is now prohibited to the most polluting vehicles.
The drop in nitrogen oxides (monoxide and dioxide) is also observed in urban areas and medium-sized towns (-21%), while in the most rural areas, the share of these emissions is more linked to agricultural activity. . And to note that it is therefore more difficult to implement actions in these “diffuse” territories.
Another rather encouraging figure is the sharp drop in the number of days in the year when residents are exposed to ozone levels (O3) considered to be of concern (“target value for human health”). This drop ranges from -39% to -42% in medium-sized towns and rural or semi-rural areas. On the other hand, the annual average concentrations of pollutants are increasing. Clearly, the number of pollution days has decreased, but the intensity of these episodes is increasing.
For the record, theOzone is not a pollutant released directly into the atmosphere. It is produced from the degradation of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds under the effect of solar radiation. Pollution which therefore finds its origin in human activities. Episodes of pollution on a national scale in the West3 are generally observed from June to August during periods of strong sunshine
The only real downside is stagnation, see the increase in fine particle pollution (PM2.5) whose emissions are mainly from old heating of the open hearth type, but also to a lesser extent from fuel oil or gas. .
This dust poses a problem because it is very small and penetrates very deeply into the pulmonary alveoli. Ultrafine particles (less than 0.1 µm) even penetrate the blood.
This phenomenon linked to PM2.5, however, remains to be put into perspective since ATMO Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes explains that over the past 15 years, this pollution has fallen by almost 65%. But since 2019 on average in AuRA, PM2.5 has increased by 6%… apart from in urban areas where a proactive policy to help change heating has been put in place.
Lyon is an example of this with the establishment by prefectural decree of an Atmosphere Protection Plan (PPA) in 167 municipalities in the Metropolis, Ain, Rhône and Isère. For example, it provides for the ban on open hearth wood heating since April 1, 2023, and the elimination by 2028 of fireplaces and inserts manufactured before 2028. According to the regional prefecture, wood heating generates, on Lyon metropolitan area, 60% of total PM 2.5 emissions.
