Bilbao, the city with the cleanest air in Europe
Bilbao Ría 2000
- The Basque capital ranks number one in terms of air quality thanks to its sustainable transformation.
Bilbao has been awarded with top place as the city with the cleanest air in Europe, according to a report by the prestigious company Auto Trader which analysed the atmospheric pollution of 393 cities around the world (between February 2021 and August 2024).
Behind Bilbao come Amsterdam, renowned for its cycling culture and low emissions zones, and Edinburgh in the UK. The rest of the Top 10 comprises Manchester (England), Bergan and Oslo (Norway), London (UK), Gothenburg (Sweden), Glasgow (Scotland) and Cologne (Germany). Bilbao scored higher that all the cities of North America with the single exception of Edmonton (Canada).
The pollutants which were measured in the study were sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), the particles PM2.5 and PM10, ozone (O3), and carbon monoxide (CO), all of which were used to create an air quality index.
The transformation of the city
The report places special emphasis on the transformation which Bilbao has undergone over the course of the last decades. From being an industrial city with high levels of pollution, Bilbao has become a worldwide model of sustainability and life quality. This change commenced towards the end of the twentieth century, spurred on by milestones such as the inauguration of the Guggenheim Museum in 1997 which signposted a cultural and urban awakening for the city. The modernization of the public transport system and the regeneration of the city’s estuary consolidated Bilbao as a benchmark in terms of sustainable development.
In this context, the selection of Bilbao as the global headquarters of the Secretariat for the Development of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global and regional level only serves to reinforce the city’s commitment to environmental and social wellbeing. This acknowledgement, together with other initiatives such as the creation of low emission zones, places the city as a reference point in terms of sustainability, innovation and life quality.
