Assessing the Impact of the Po Valley Air Quality Plan (Italy)

The Po Valley (Italy) is highly affected by air pollution and a large fraction of the population living in northern Italy is exposed to PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations that exceed both the European limit value and the stricter WHO air quality guidelines. For this reason, in 2017 four Regions (Piemonte, Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna) and the national Ministry of the Environment adopted a set of common measures, namely the “Po Valley air quality plan” (AQP). The main measures included in this plan consider emission reductions in road transport, residential heating and agriculture. The aim of this work is to apply the MAQ (Multi-dimensional Air Quality) model to assess the impacts of such measures on air quality, human health and greenhouse gases emissions in Lombardy and compare them to a cost-effective policy.