Why One of Europe’s Greenest Cities Still Struggles With Air Pollution
Oslo’s widespread adoption of electric vehicles, car-free zones and other anti-pollution policies have made Norway’s capital one of Europe’s greenest cities. Nitrogen oxide emissions have dropped dramatically in the last decade. But Oslo still wrestles with a stubborn air quality problem: Particulate pollution — from tiny but harmful airborne particles — often hits excessive concentrations, especially during the winter. For a few hours earlier this year, it spiked to levels akin to an industrialized hub in China.
Oslo’s particulate problems reveal the limits of vehicle electrification as a panacea for urban air pollution, writes Kari Lundgren. But they also reflect several of the city’s unique features, like its hilly topography and fondness for wood-fired saunas. To clean the air, city officials are deploying a range of dust-busting tools, from tunnel-scrubbing trucks to electrostatic particle traps. Today on CityLab: Even Oslo Has an Air Quality Problem
— Linda Poon
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