Air pollution hotspots in the European Union: A city-level risk assessment

Authors

  • András Szeberényi Institute of Marketing and Communication, Budapest Metropolitan University, 1148 Budapest, Hungary; Department of International and Applied Economics, Széchenyi István University, 9026 Győr, Hungary https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1387-0350
  • Ágnes Fűrész Doctoral School of Regional and Economic Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7202-0928
  • Mátyás Imre Kovács Doctoral School of Regional and Economic Sciences, Széchenyi István University, 9026 Győr, Hungary https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4023-5798
Article ID: 622
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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18686/cest622

Keywords:

air pollution , PM2.5 , European capitals , energy crisis , urban hotspots , geospatial analysis , environmental justice , sustainable urban planning

Abstract

Urban air pollution remains a major challenge for public health and environmental sustainability across the European Union. While much of the existing literature relies on national-level indicators, city-level analyses are essential for identifying persistent urban hotspots and spatial inequalities in exposure. This study examines annual PM2.5 concentrations in European capitals between 2021 and 2024 using data from the IQAir database, which provides harmonized, high-resolution information on fine particulate matter. Geospatial analysis and GeoAI-inspired exploratory approaches were employed to support the identification of intra- and inter-urban pollution patterns. The results reveal a structural break in 2022, when the energy crisis coincided with a temporary increase in PM2.5 concentrations, interrupting an otherwise improving trend. Systematic differences were observed between Western–Northern capitals, which exhibited lower concentrations and more favorable trends, and Eastern–Southern capitals, where exceedances persisted throughout the study period. A focused comparison of Budapest with Vienna, Warsaw, and Prague highlights the intermediate position of the Hungarian capital within Central Europe. Overall, the findings demonstrate the sensitivity of urban air quality to external shocks and the persistence of spatial disparities, while illustrating the potential of open-access air quality data to support evidence-based urban environmental policy and sustainable planning. The selected 2021–2024 period captures the post-COVID normalization phase and the 2022 energy crisis, enabling the analysis of short-term structural disruptions rather than long-term emission trajectories.

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Published

2026-04-01

How to Cite

Szeberényi, A., Fűrész, Ágnes, & Kovács, M. I. (2026). Air pollution hotspots in the European Union: A city-level risk assessment. Clean Energy Science and Technology, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.18686/cest622

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2026)

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Article

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Copyright (c) 2026 András Szeberényi, Ágnes Fűrész, Mátyás Imre Kovács

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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