FOREWORD FOREWORD Few people today realize that the environment is a conditioning factor for the existence of each one of us. All of its components and ecosystems influence its trend. Their situation today is changing not only within the local and regional scope, but also at the global level. Several places have shown improved quality of the environment thanks to building the environmental infrastructure. Through implementing legal, educational, economic, organisational, and other instruments we have been trying to increase environmental safety, appropriateness, loading capacity, usability, and aesthetics. These include also building flood protection facilities in areas with the highest risk of floods in Slovakia. The world is facing environmental threats of global magnitude. These include, for example, impacts provoked by the changed climate or gradual depletion of selected strategic natural resources. All of this occurs also in consequence of a continuing rise in the world´s population that exceeded the number of seven billion people. In many countries, this has spurred phenomena such as starvation, poverty, devastation of land and marine ecosystems, reduction of biodiversity, excessive exploitation of minerals, and enormous air pollution, water contamination and environmental pollution by waste. The UN Conference for sustainable development - RIO + 20 organized in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 addressed the already mentioned as well as other issues. The Conference hosted also the Slovak delegation. This global conference of the highest rank analysed the possibilities of reducing the impacts of adverse environmental situation in social and economic aspects and proposed measures for its improvement and for securing sustainable development. Following the global RIO+20 conference, the European Union prepared its 7th Environmental Action Plan by 2020 (7. EAP) as its basic strategic document. The document aims mainly at improving air quality, staying within the limit values for pollution, flood protection, and other environmental catastrophes, as well as better effectiveness of waste management, etc. This programme called "Good life within the possibilities of our planet" focuses mainly on supporting the funding of those sectors of environmental protection which act as prevention or which eliminate the negative phenomena and acute national environmental risks, or increase environmental safety, appropriateness, and usability, especially through increased protection and more rational use of the components of the environment, natural heritage, natural resources. Priorities of the 7th EAP include protection of the EU population against the environmental pressures and risks that pose threat to its health or wealth, together with perfecting the knowledge base for the environmental strategy. These and other EU objectives are in line with the Programme declaration of the Slovak Government for the years 2012 – 2016 with an outlook to 2020 (approved by the Resolution of the Slovak Government No. 144/2012 and the Slovak National Council Resolution 24/2012) especially in its part titled: "Environmental care". Many environmental measures are included also in other chapters dealing with social stability and securities for people, sustainable economic development, knowledge society, education and culture, development of the regions of Slovakia, and quality of life as a result of cohesive society. Slovak Ministry of Environment in its new sectoral national environmental strategy outlined the environmental objectives of the mentioned programme declaration of the Slovak government. This strategy builds on the assessment of the environmental situation in Slovakia from the European and State of the Environment Report - Slovak Republic 2012 FOREWORD global perspective. At the same time, it represents documentary basis for drafting "Quality of Environment Operation Programme for the years 2014 - 2020". The Strategy was approved on March 28, 2013 and titled: "Orientation, principles, priorities, and major tasks in the environmental care in the Slovak Republic for the years 2014 - 2020". The Strategy sets out 8 basic roadmap objectives of the national environmental strategy, along with its 10 principles, 7 priorities, and 85 major tasks. The seventh strategic priority supports environmental formation and education, science, research and development, environmental monitoring, and information science, and voluntary instruments of the environmental strategy. Publication of the twentieth report on the state of the environment in 2012 within its seventh priority follows up the sectoral national environmental strategy. This report on the state of the environment differs from its previous version in that it adopts a broader approach to the process of environmental situation assessment in Slovakia since the start of its monitoring, and provides a more detailed comparison between the environmental indicators among the neighbouring and other EU member countries. The year 2012 is considered a breakthrough year in the environmental care not only in the world and Europe, but also here in Slovakia. We are looking back over its twenty-year history and outlining a new route for our environment with the conviction that we will be able, through a common effort, reach all the environmental goals by 2020. Thus we will create more favourable initial conditions for improving the environment, building a knowledge society, and securing sustainable development and green growth in the Slovak Republic and the whole European Union by 2050 and for the rest of the 21st century. Ing. Peter Žiga, PhD. Minister of Environment of the Slovak Republic State of the Environment Report - Slovak Republic 2012 COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND THEIR PROTECTION COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND THEIR PROTECTION • AIR Key questions and key findings What is the recent trend in the area of production of polluting substances in the Slovak Republic? - Basic pollutant emissions (PM, SO2, NOX, CO) over a long-term horizon (1993 - 2011) have been consistently declining; however, the speed of decline after 2000 has been significantly slower. There was a temporary increase in emissions detected in 2003 - 2005; however, after 2005 the trend was falling again until 2009. Positive year-to-year change was recorded in SO2 and NOX, on the contrary, PM and CO emissions showed a rising trend over the last year. - Ammonia emissions have been persistently decreasing over a long time period. - Non-metal volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) emissions over a longer time horizon (1993 - 2000) have been decreasing persistently. In the period of 2000 to 2010 the values were maintained more-less at the same level, with slight fluctuations in specific years. Growth in NMVOC emissions in 2011 (compared to 2010) was mostly influenced by increased volumes of solvents production and purchase. - Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) emissions declined significantly over the period of 1993 - 2000. When the years 2000 and 2011 were compared, there was seen a decline in PCDD/PCDF emissions by 52.8%; however, PCB emissions increased by 1.9%, and the sum of PAH emissions increased by 42.6%. From year to year, PCDD/PCDF emissions show declining values. The same trend is seen in PCB. On the contrary, other PAH emissions show a slight increase. Is Slovakia fulfilling its obligations given by international conventions in the area of air protection? - Slovakia is fulfilling its obligations given by international legislation in the area of air protection. Are the air pollutants limit values for human health protection complied with? - Notwithstanding the persistent decrease in the pollutants emission, in 2012 a number of monitoring stations again detected exceeded limit values for selected air-borne pollutants (NOX, PM10, PM2.5) designated to ensure human health protection. Are the air pollutants limit values for vegetation protection complied with? - Limit values of air-born pollutants (SO2, NOX) designated for the protection of vegetation have not been exceeded. Exceeded values were detected for ground ozone. - The massive reduction in national emissions of ozone precursors over the last years has not resulted in reduced ground ozone concentrations in Slovakia. Some ground ozone characteristics in 2012 remained at a relatively high level achieved in the previous years. What has been the trend in the condition of the ozone layer and intensity of solar radiation over the SR territory? - Total atmospheric ozone was above the long-term average values, within a 5.4% deviation above the mean value; total sum of daily doses of the ultraviolet erythema radiation decreased. State of the Environment Report - Slovak republic 2012 COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND THEIR PROTECTION Is the SR fulfilling its international obligations in the area of the Earth's ozone layer protection? - Slovakia is fulfilling its obligations given by international legislation in the area of ozone layer protection. Emission situation ♦ Balance of basic pollutants emissions Trend in emissions of particulate matter Emissions of particulate matter have shown a steady reduction since 1990, which, apart from reduction in production and energy consumption, has been caused by a change within the fuel group toward more purified fuels, as well as by using fuels with higher quality labels. Increase in the PM emissions over 2004-2005 was caused by an increased consumption of wood within the sector of small-size sources (heating up of houses) due to increased natural gas and coal