Air monitoring tests show high CO2 levels in Germany

An environmental analysis of 29 European cities has highlighted that urban areas in Germany need to continue working hard to boost their air quality.

The Germany Green City Index - commissioned by Siemens and completed by the Economist Intelligence Unit - has shown that highly populated areas across the nation are seeing more CO2 emissions released than many other cities throughout the continent.

This is largely due to the high volume of coal being burnt in order to produce power.

However, the research also indicated that in terms of general air quality, most German people have an awareness of how important it is to live in a clean environment.

Cities with high traffic rates were discovered to perform well, even though figures showed that 50 per cent of Germans still use their cars to travel to work, rather than the country's extensive public transport system.

Last week, a study conducted in France showed that poor air quality - especially particulate matter and ozone pollution - can be linked to uncontrolled asthma.

Posted by Joseph Hutton