Europe’s first pollutant emission register, EPER, has been published.
The register was launched on 24 February 2004 in Copenhagen, and it will be translated into all 11 official EU languages following initial feedback. Satellite images showing the location of industrial facilities would be upgraded.
Eper contains a wealth of data on emissions of key pollutants, accessible to all via the internet.
Based on reports from EU-15 governments plus Norway, the first edition reports releases of 50 pollutants to air, to water and to offsite wastewater treatment by 9,159 industrial plants in 36 industry sectors.
Hungary is also participating voluntarily, but its data have not yet been included in the database.
The register is supposed to report about 90% of point source pollution by Europe’s largest and most polluting industrial facilities. These range from power stations and oil refineries to waste disposal plants to intensive livestock rearing facilities to manufacturing of chemicals or metals, cement and leather.
With subsequent reports – the next is due in 2006 based on reporting year 2004 – it should begin to be possible to track emission trends.