Government plans to combat smog are simply a farce

One doesn’t need to be a scientist to know that there is something wrong with Athens’s air. Particularly on cold and windless evenings, when fireplaces are ablaze and there is no breeze to clear the atmosphere, many Athens neighborhoods smell pungently of woodsmoke (at least one hopes it is woodsmoke). From any high vantage point a grey-brown pall is visible hanging over the city.

The data confirms that the smog is not only unsightly but dangerous. Among the pollutants in the atmosphere among the most dangerous to human health is the particulate matter (PM) – the tiny bits and pieces that are a by-product of combustion. Chronic exposure to these particles is associated with higher death rates and rates of lung diseases including cancer. Generally the smaller particles are more dangerous as they can more easily interfere with the delicate structures deep in the lungs.

Both the EU and the World Health Organization have set the danger threshold for smaller particles (PM 10) at an average of 50μg per cubic meter over a 24 hour period. According to the relevant European Directive this level should not be exceeded more than 35 times a year. However, according to a study by the Ministry of Health, last winter (which was relatively mild) in Athens over a three and a half month period from the beginning of October to mid-January, the level of PM10 particles in the atmosphere was over the 50μg threshold in 58% of measurements. 28% of the measurements recorded levels above 80μg. Similarly, measurements from this winter have shown the danger thresholds are routinely surpassed, many times by a wide margin.

The Greek press has repeatedly focused on the problem of Athens smog and many have called for the tax on heating oil to be lowered. Yet the government has refused, even though for all the smog and freezing homes, the measure has brought in far less revenue than anticipated as citizens simply decided to avoid heating oil altogether. Public statements like Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis’s who said publicly that, “”People in Europe don't heat their homes with fireplaces – at some point we also have to become normal people”, not unexpectedly, didn’t really discourage people who could not afford heating oil to keep their kids warm.

Instead, the government’s response to concern over the levels of air pollution was the announcement of an emergency measure last month supposedly intended to reduce Greeks’ reliance on wood fires. On days where particulate matter reaches dangerously high levels, low-income households on the social assistance pricing plans of the Public Power Corporation (PPC) will be given a 70% discount on the supply of power. This supposedly would prompt more people to use electric heaters to stay warm.

But the days the emergency measure will come into effect will likely be few and far between. This is because the government decided to set the PM10 level at which the measure is activated at at 101μg per cubic meter, i.e. over the double 50μg danger level established by the WHO guidelines and EU legislation. Presumably the government believes Greeks are hardier than other nations.

Furthermore, there does not appear to be any way for the PPC or the government to actually inform the relevant consumers of when the danger levels are passed and the discount goes into effect. And in the end, as pointed out by the Greek office of WWF (link in Greek), even when the discount is implemented it only affects a portion of the bill. For instance on a sample electricity bill of 178.22 euros for a four month period only 105.58 euros is billed for the supply of electricity, the remainder being taxes and other charges. This averages to €0.88 a day meaning that on the days when the measure is implemented families can expect to save a grand total of €0.60.

In other words the measure is likely to have little to no effect on the levels of smog in Athens.

The Environment Ministry’s data collection is also far from ideal. The official page on which the results of atmospheric measurements are published has a bizarre and confusing layout. And while vulnerable groups such as asthma patients are encouraged to stay indoors on days with high levels of smog, the Ministry only posts its measurements one or more days after they were taken, meaning that citizens can only be informed of the days they should have stayed home in retrospect.