Barcelona activates a plan with 53 measures to breathe cleaner air in 2030

The AMB launches an ambitious programme to reduce pollution in 36 municipalities. The plan includes new Zonas de Bajas Emisiones and an environmental register. Health and urban quality of life are prioritised. Changes that will affect mobility and everyday life.

Air quality in Barcelona and its metropolitan area is about to undergo a decisive shift. The Área Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) has given the green light to a programme that promises to transform the way we breathe in the 36 municipalities that make it up. This plan, running until 2030, introduces 53 concrete actions to monitor and reduce air pollution, with direct effects on the everyday lives of those who live, work or study in the city.

Among the most notable new measures is the creation of an environmental register that will make it possible to identify in detail the sources of emissions and pollutant dispersion, especially in industrial areas. In addition, the introduction of new municipal Zonas de Bajas Emisiones is planned, which will mean additional traffic restrictions and changes to urban mobility.

The programme, aligned with the recommendations of the OMS and the Unión Europea, is not limited to monitoring. It includes studies into the impact of pollution on health, analysing mortality and morbidity associated with the air we breathe. It will also assess how new road infrastructure, such as motorways and connecting junctions, affects air quality in neighbourhoods.

The strategy envisages collaboration with the port and airport to improve their energy efficiency, two key sources of emissions in the metropolis. In addition, the AMB will support town councils in assessing air quality around schools and will launch educational campaigns such as “Los vigilantes del aire” to raise public awareness from an early age.

The Programa Metropolitano de Calidad del Aire 2030 was created following a participatory process involving multiple local stakeholders, seeking to agree an effective and realistic roadmap. The objective is clear: to achieve cleaner, healthier air for all inhabitants of the metropolitan area, in line with the most demanding European standards.

The Área Metropolitana de Barcelona, known for coordinating essential services such as public transport and waste management, plays a key role in the urban transformation of the city and its surroundings. Its capacity to promote joint environmental policies has been decisive in improving mobility and sustainability over the last decade. Now, with the new air-quality programme, the AMB reinforces its commitment to public health and the wellbeing of more than three million people.