Outdoor air protection

The LAURE (Loi sur l'Air et l'Utilisation Rationnelle de l'Énergie) of 1996, the first law in France to recognize everyone's right to breathe healthy air, defines air pollution as follows:

"Atmospheric pollution within the meaning of the present law is the introduction by man, directly or indirectly, into the atmosphere and enclosed spaces, of substances having harmful consequences of such a nature as to endanger human health, harm biological resources and ecosystems, influence climate change, deteriorate material goods, cause excessive olfactory nuisance. "

Depending on where we are, the air is more or less contaminated by gaseous or solid pollutants produced mainly by human activities (road traffic, heating, industries, agricultural work, domestic activities...) or to a lesser extent by phenomena of natural origin (sea spray, desert sand, volcanic eruption).

The pollutants found in the air we breathe are said to be primary when they come directly from the source of pollution, and secondary when they result from a chemical reaction (interaction between various pollutants, UV rays...).

The presence of these pollutants in the air, even in low concentrations, can have short and/or long-term effects on health and the environment.

The effects on our health

Between 2016 and 2019, Santé Publique France estimated that PM2.5 would be responsible for 40,000 deaths each year in France. More broadly, air pollution can have immediate effects on our health ranging from eye irritation to heart or respiratory problems that can sometimes lead to death.

It can also have longer-term effects that manifest themselves in serious pathologies such as cancers, cardiovascular/respiratory pathologies, neurological disorders or developmental disorders.

The 3 routes of contamination in humans:

• The respiratory route, the main route of contamination
• The digestive route: contaminated water, soil or plants (pesticides, heavy metals...)
• The cutaneous route: toxic elements contained in certain pesticides

Effects on our environment

Our environment can also be impacted, particularly buildings (soiling, loss of limestone mass...), agricultural yields or the plant world (necrosis, slower growth...). Atmospheric pollution can even cause acid rain!

At national level

Since 1996, the right to breathe air that is not harmful to one's health has been enshrined in the LAURE law. This law, now incorporated into the Environment Code (Articles L. 221-1 to L. 221-6), makes it compulsory to monitor air quality, define quality objectives and provide information to the public.

This has led to the establishment of a national air quality monitoring system steered by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and comprising Associations Agréées de Surveillance de la Qualité de l'Air (AASQA) in each region.

They are responsible for monitoring, predicting local air quality and informing the general public, while supporting local decision-makers to improve air quality. These AASQAs are coordinated by the Laboratoire Central de Surveillance de la Qualité de l'Air and federated by ATMO France.

At regional and local level

On the Metropole, the Association Agréée de Surveillance de la Qualité de l'Air is ATMO Occitanie which monitors and predicts air quality on our Metropole via 6 air quality measurement stations and modeling.

An annual report is published, giving an overview of trends in measured concentrations, emission sources by sector and average pollutant concentrations across the territory.

Alongside ATMO Occitanie, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole has long been a committed player in the fight against air pollution, with numerous actions implemented to help reduce pollutant emissions. Since the beginning of the partnership in the early 1980s, the development of technical tools and resources has enabled us to strengthen the monitoring carried out in the Montpellier region.

In 2023, outdoor air quality in the metropolis was considered average 60% of the year, degraded 30% of the year and poor 10% of the year. The road transport sector is the main source of pollution (80% of nitrogen dioxide emissions).

Other sectors also account for a significant share of air pollutant emissions:

• Residential and tertiary (heating including open hearth wood heating) = 46% of PM2.5 suspended particulate emissions
• Industry and waste treatment = 34% of PM10 suspended particulate emissions.

Generally speaking, air quality in the Montpellier region is rather average in terms of current regulations. The majority of regulatory thresholds are met for the main regulated pollutants, but concentrations remain well above WHO recommendations (2021) over much of the territory.

The metropolis also remains marked, like all territories in the south of France, by ozone pollution, a summer pollutant.

In order to improve air quality in the area, local public players are joining forces. Montpellier's Plan de Protection de l'Atmosphère (PPA), steered by the DREAL, lists objectives for improving quality via 16 actions.

A real opportunity to work in concert with neighboring intercommunalités, the future PPA will enable coordinated action to improve air quality in the Metropole and surrounding territories.

The Plan Climat Energie Territorial is a strategic document designed to organize the management of resources and energy consumption in such a way as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollutants. This new document will include a Plan de Réduction des Émissions de Polluants Atmosphériques (Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Reduction Plan) incorporating the targets set by the European Union.

The Metropole is committed to an ambitious strategy to meet the challenges defined in each of these 10 orientations, which are broken down into 25 concrete actions with the introduction of indicators for the general public.

A project to renovate your home for energy efficiency? Professionals are on hand to advise you and study the assistance available for your project.

This urban planning document, which sets out the conditions for land development and use, will replace local town planning schemes. On the one hand, it will help to protect populations by urbanizing at a distance from road infrastructures or using barrier devices that block air pollution.

On the other hand, it will contribute to improving air quality by promoting the city of short distances while enabling the development of less emitting modes of transport and densifying areas already served by public transport. The development of nature in the city is also one of the PLUi's priorities for improving air quality.