Air Pollution Reduction Action Plan 2020-2030.

The Plan is designed to reduce the negative impact of air pollution on the environment and human health, as well as reduce costs and lost working time, caused by air pollution due to health problems. The Plan analyzes current emission trends, emission forecasts, and provides information on the main sources of pollution. The Plan must be updated at least once every four years or more frequently if the air pollutant emission targets set in the annual emissions report have not been met or there is a risk that they will not be met. Several air pollutants are also climate-affecting, with potential impacts ranging from short-term (less than a year) to several decades.
The objective of the Plan: to reduce the negative impact of air pollution on the environment and human health, as well as to reduce the costs and lost working time caused by health problems and doctor visits caused by air pollution. Goal 1: to ensure the achievement of the total air pollutant emission reduction targets set for Latvia in the period from 2020 to 2030. Goal 2: to achieve air quality adequate for the protection of human health in cities where air quality measurements are carried out.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, as the leading state administrative institution in the field of environmental protection, develops an action plan for reducing air pollutant emissions and coordinates its implementation to ensure the achievement of the set emission reduction targets. The State Environmental Service and the state institution "Latvian Centre for Environment, Geology and Meteorology", which is the national reference laboratory in Latvia in the field of air quality, participate in the implementation of the national air protection policy within the framework of their competence.
To achieve pollution targets the following measures shall be undertaken: (a) reduction of emissions from the industrial sector and combustion plants and more effective control of compliance with the established requirements; (b) increasing energy efficiency in buildings; (c) reduction of emissions from combustion plants in the household sector; (d) reducing emissions in transport through the wider use of alternative fuels; (e) improvement of the tax system with the aim of promoting the reduction of air polluting emissions; (f) reducing emissions in the agricultural sector; (g) improvement of the national emissions inventory system; (h) development of action programs for improving air quality in municipalities; and (i) measures to be taken in Riga to improve air quality.