PM2.5 source allocation in European cities: A SHERPA modelling study

The “Screening for High Emission Reduction Potentials for Air quality” tool (SHERPA) is used in this work to quantify the origins of air pollution in cities and regions, both from a spatial (urban, country…) and sectoral (transport, residential, agriculture…) perspectives. For PM2.5 we conclude that (1) for many cities, local actions at the city scale are an effective means of improving air quality in that city; (2) the target sectors and scales to abate air pollution are city specific, even for cities that are located in the same country. Consequently, it is important to take into account these city-specific circumstances when designing air quality plans and (3) for many cities, sectoral measures addressing agriculture at country or EU scale would have a clear benefit on urban air quality.