Environment of Belgium

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Main article: Belgium

The environment of Belgium has been heavily polluted on different levels (water, air, soil, noise, and biodiversity).

In the Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index, Belgium was ranked lowest of the EU member countries for overall environmental performance.[1]

Contents

[edit] Air

Grey Skies in Belgium.
Grey Skies in Belgium.
Grey Skies in Belgium.
Grey Skies in Belgium.

In Flanders, until recently, there was an estimated 13,500 mortalities each year due to air pollution (alone). However thanks to researcher Vincent Du Four of the University of Ghent, we now know that this number is wrong. There are at least 140,000 mortalities when we consider only the organic pollutants, thus without other agents such as heavy metals. 33% of this is caused by road traffic, the rest is expelled by heavy industry, house heating, vapourising manure, solvents in paint, ... It has also been reported that the air, because of all this pollution, is highly carcinogenic. The degree of air pollution is not better in any other part of the country. According to Vincent Du Four's research, the air pollution in the entire country of Belgium is very severe. Some places are even as much polluted as industrial cities in the Ruhr area, such as Olen.

[edit] Fine dust

Each year a quantity of 17,000 tons fine dust (of which 65% has pollution effects by soil degradation together with some pesticides) is blown into the air. This amount makes around 20% of the air pollution in Belgium. The other 80% are from traffic from neighbouring countries that needs to pass through Belgium.[citation needed]

Due to new research by the University of Ghent from Ailee Kleiman, there are 14,000 per million mortalities. And, since Belgium has about 10 million people living, this would result in 154.000 mortalities for fine dust(!) alone in Belgium.[citation needed]

Depending, of course, on the wind direction, the number of fine dust changes often. But one can roughly say that there is about 20 to 30 micrograms per cubic metre (mg/m³).

Lastly, to show how serious the situation really is, here are some examples:

  • in 2006, the yearly European norm for fine dust was already surpassed in March.
  • just walking aside the freeway, for not longer than 5 minutes, can already cause a measurable degree of permanent lung damage.

[edit] Water

One of the many of Belgium's bodies of water is the north sea. 79% of the surface water is heavily polluted, another 19% is 'less' polluted, and 2 percent makes the European standard. This is only a part because most of the polluted sewer water is not actively purified. Only the rain water is (which is mostly clean).

VMM and Aquafin, 2 organisations supported by the government, will try to improve this in the near future by doubling the water purification facilities. Instead of 228 facilities, there will be around 400. Of course the real problem lies in the sifting of rain water in the sewers, which will keep us busy cleaning them for years.

Very few fish have been reported in the rivers, and bathing in the rivers is extremely hazardous. Not only the rivers, but the shores are also polluted (1% of the bathers got ill in 2004) And lastly, the fish that do swim in the rivers have dangerous levels of pcb's in their bodies.

However, the water quality has already increased a lot, as before 2003, things were even worse. Due to years of ignorance, water has been polluted almost enough to not being able to support any aquatic life (which was primarily the fault of fertilizer application). In 2003, Unesco gave Belgium the last place of all 122 countries in its first World Water Development Report. In the same year, Belgium was given one of the last places by Keele University.


[edit] Soil

The statistics are just being started and already are 16,653 parcels filed as heavily polluted. By the end of 2007 more data will be available (30% will be charted).[citation needed]

[edit] Noise

33% of all Flemish people have troubles with the level of noise in Flanders during the day. At night, 42% of the Flemish people have troubles with it. The level of noise is probably above 42 decibels and can thus contribute to increased bloodpressure, heartproblems, depression, migraine and other according to the WHO. Most of the sound comes from road traffic. Although not such an important factor for the environment as the other (soil, water and air), noise levels can annoy birds, and other animal species and thus decreasing biodiversity.

[edit] Biodiversity

There are several sources from which we can determine the biodiversity in Belgium: from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, UNEP, IUCN, and to a lesser extent from the Belgian Government's follow-up on biodiversity ( biodiversity.be and its 'Biodiversity in Belgium'-publication) and GBIF.org.

[edit] Conclusion

In the environment report 2006, due to its high population density, Belgium sit in a bad position for biodiversity. By following the example of the IUCN or The World Conservation Union's Red List and the approach of the Dutch, who also have their own personalised red list, there has been a specific red list created for Belgium. The link below will guide you there. Besides the electronic version you can also buy the book "Atlas van de Flora van Vlaanderen en het Brussels Gewest", which includes the paper version of the personalised red list edition too.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index - Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy and Columbia University Center for International Earth Science Information Network

[edit] External links

[edit] 2003 results