17^th Plenary Session of the Congress

Strasbourg, 15 October 2009

Speech by Gaye Doganoglu, Chair of the Committee on Sustainable Development, on Improving indoor air quality: a new challenge for local authorities

Thank you Mr. President,

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to thank Paolo Rondelli for his presentation and commitment to this work on Indoor air quality. May I also take this opportunity to thank our Committee members for their valuable contributions on this very important issue?

The Rapporteur has made very clear the importance of the need of a shift in our attitude towards pollution. While outdoor pollution is subject to extensive regulation and media attention, we have to consider more seriously the quality of indoor air.

Mr Rondellli has stressed the considerable risk of indoor pollution for our health and the need for wide-ranging actions to improve the quality of air inside buildings. For example, well designed, well constructed, well maintained buildings are critical to the prevention and control of a healthy environment.

Knowledge of indoor air quality, its health significance and the factors that cause poor quality are the key to enabling action by the relevant stakeholders to maintain clean indoor air.

Moreover, public opinion has been alerted by recent health scares as well as by the ever growing number of people suffering from asthma or allergies. Citizens demand more public involvement at local level to protect their health, and they expect access to reliable information.

The Rapporteur has therefore stressed the importance of educating and informing people and insisted on the duty of local authorities to protect citizens from threats to their health.

They should put environmental health concerns at the centre of their policies and influence individual and collective behaviour. We, elected representatives, must rise to the challenge. As I said yesterday in the debate on climate change, it is the duty of all public authorities to act responsibly in order to guarantee a healthy and sustainable environment for all and to protect the right to a healthy environment for present and future generations.

 

We can no longer accept passivity in tackling the problem of indoor air pollution. I would like to thank again the Rapporteur Paolo RONDELLI for this very important report.