European Parliament votes on air quality legislation

The European Parliament has voted on new environmental legislation which will see minimum emission limits established for industries in an attempt to cut down air pollution.

Proposed by the European commission, the legislation aims to merge seven existing laws.

Although the European Parliament welcomed the commission's proposals, it also wanted it to set up a pollution 'safety net'.

This means that there will now be limits as to the level of emissions which can be reached by the 52,000 industrial installations across the EU in place of current laws which can be uncertain.

Furthermore, the European Parliament wants greater flexibility to grant pollution permits so that establishments such as hospitals can receive preferential treatment.

Surrey Satellite Technology, the University of Leicester and EADS Astrium have recently invented a new instrument which is able to measure the fluctuating levels of pollution in the air above cities.