EU Ozone Levels Reach Dangerous Threshold During June Heatwave

A Global Witness report found that roughly two‑thirds of the European Union’s population – about 300 million people, including 100 million children and seniors – were exposed to ozone concentrations above health limits during the unprecedented June heatwave. The analysis, based on data from 162 air‑quality monitoring stations and Copernicus modelled values, identified 298 million Europeans breathing ozone above the EU’s 120 µg/m³ eight‑hour limit and, using WHO standards, about seven‑eighths of the population were above the stricter 100 µg/m³ threshold. In Portugal, ozone levels peaked at 205 µg/m³ in Alverca. The report warned that ozone pollution, intensified by high temperatures and fossil‑fuel reliance, is linked to asthma, lung‑tissue damage and was associated with 63 000 premature deaths in 2023. Flossie Boyd of Global Witness said, “People are forced to live in dangerous conditions because of our dependence on fossil fuels.” British climatologist James Weber noted, “Ozone is another problem, at a time when health is already threatened by humidity and heat.” The NGO criticises the EU’s limited progress on methane reductions despite cuts in nitrogen‑oxide emissions.