EUROSAI - Joint report on air quality

16 Audit institutions, including Israel State Comptroller's Office, produced joint report on air quality, that was published today

EUROSAI, the international representative organization of national audit agencies, published today, January 30, an audit report on air quality. The report was written in conjunction with 16 national audit agencies including The Israel State Comptroller's Office. The audit reports deals with the years 2014-2017.

The audit report found that numerous countries didn't view air pollution as a vital issue to be dealt with despite the wider implications on public health, quality of life and the environment. There are numerous and varied sources of air pollution, however the most significant ones are the use of fossil fuels for transportation, electricity generation and manufacturing.

The audit found that the majority of participating countries studied in the report don't meet national and or international standards for air quality and deviate from the established thresholds. Only several of the countries adopted a national strategy for preventing air pollution. In some countries there is no compliance monitoring of air quality targets. In numerous countries there is a lack of cooperation between the organizations charged with solving the air pollution problem. The governments in some countries have limited information on expenditures made to improve air quality.

Ms. Haala Abu-Chalah and Ms. Amalya Or, of the Israel State Comptroller's office contributed the report conclusions on the impact of electricity production on air quality in Israel. Israel's contribution to the report was previously published (in Hebrew) by the State Comptroller's office in October 2017 entitled "The Impact of Electricity Production on Air Quality in Israel"  (Annual Report 68A).

During the years 2007-2016 the Israeli government issued 20 decisions regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, streamlining national energy consumption and producing energy from renewable sources. It was found that these decisions weren't implemented.

In 2015 the State Comptroller's Office estimated the annual external costs to the national economy from greenhouse gas emission and pollution that affected public health were 4 billion euro; roughly half of which, 2.2 billion euro, resulted from electricity production.

It was found that in 2016 the Environmental Protection ministry didn't possess complete data on the actual emissions for the years 2010-2013. Similarly, the office was required to recalculate the emission values for 2010. Until this calculation is completed, it is impossible to determine whether the country met the national goals for reducing air pollution and hazardous emissions. The Environmental Protection ministry's annual report to the government doesn’t include data on total emissions of pollutants each year by industrial sector in comparison to the national goals despite the large number of deviations from the required values. Similarly the ministry's report didn't include a comparison between the quantities of pollutants emitted each by sector in comparison to previous years.

The audit report also presented the positive steps that countries participating in the audit have taken to improve air quality. The example cited Israel's extensive use of solar water heaters on building rooftops (an invention of Prof. Zvi Tabor) as a meaningful contribution to reducing air pollution.

 

The complete report