By 2050, the European Union’s “Zero Pollution Action Plan” will strive to achieve an environment without toxins by decreasing air, water, and soil pollution to levels that have no effect on human health or the ecosystems’ ability to function properly and provide vital services (e.g., storing carbon or filtering pollution). Pollution is associated with a large number of diseases and early deaths, and the loss of biodiversity and decreases ecosystems’ capacity to provide essential services. Given the urgency to act on public health, the environment, economies, and moral obligation, in May 2021, the EU adopted this plan as an integral component of its Green Deal, with a report to be issued in January 2026 as part of the plan’s mid-term review.
