ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Air Quality Analysis in the European Union
M. Dolores Huete-Morales1, José-Manuel Quesada-Rubio2, Esteban Navarrete-Álvarez2, M. Jesús Rosales-Moreno2, M. José Del-Moral-Ávila2
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1Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Faculty of Labour Sciences, University of Granada,
C/Rector López Argüeta, s/n. 18071 Granada, Spain
2Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada,
Campus de Fuente Nueva, s/n. 18071 Granada, Spain
Submission date: 2016-10-04
Final revision date: 2016-11-10
Acceptance date: 2016-12-04
Online publication date: 2017-05-26
Publication date: 2017-05-26
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2017;26(3):1113-1119
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ABSTRACT
Environmental quality is a characteristic inherent to all ecosystems, and so knowledge of the indicators
that define it, within those of sustainability as a whole, is of vital importance. In particular, environmental
analysis of any area should include information on air quality together with data on water, soil, natural
resources, and human beings. The distribution of individuals and their impact on the environment varies
enormously among countries. This paper presents a statistical analysis of the environmental impact recorded
in 27 countries of the European Union, taking into account variables relating to the volume of pollutants
emitted to the atmosphere, freshwater abstraction, and the population density in each country. A hierarchical
cluster analysis has allowed us to establish groups of countries of similar behavior within the considered
variables. Countries with anomalous records (above the EU average) have been detected.