I share your concerns and I agree that poor air quality is the greatest environmental risk to our health and even though our air is now cleaner than at any point since the industrial revolution, there is more work to be done if we are to protect the health of our nation.
The government’s clean air strategy details how the UK will go further and faster than the EU in reducing exposure to air pollution. It sets out a goal to halve the number of people living in locations with concentrations of particulate matter above World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, legislate to give councils more powers to improve air quality and ensure only the cleanest domestic fuels and stoves can be sold. I am encouraged that it has been described by WHO as ‘an example for the rest of the world to follow’.
Additionally, the Environment Bill will set an ambitious, legally binding target to reduce fine particulate matter, and increase local powers to address sources of air pollution, enabling local authorities to work with families to cut harmful pollution from domestic burning by using cleaner fuels. This target will be among the most ambitious in the world and improve the quality of millions of people’s lives. This action supplements the £3.5 billion plan announced in 2017 to reduce air pollution from road transport and diesel vehicles.
