Vapor rises from chimneys at the Belchatow coal powered power plant, operated by PGE SA, in Belchatow, Poland, on Wednesday, April 28, 2021.
The EU plans to use its recovery program to help steer the economy toward cleaner goods and services, reducing the release of pollutants that can cause diseases like cancer and strokes, threaten biodiversity and contribute to the mass-extinction of species.
As part of the new roadmap, the EU aims to cut premature deaths from air pollution by more than 55% by 2030 and reduce by almost a third the number of people chronically disturbed by transport noise.
As part of the strategy, the EU will look to showcase and reward best performing cities and regions, while proposing rules to prevent pollution at source, including if necessary through taxation.