Gasping for fresh air

Air pollution is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths every year, and the Royal College of Physicians estimated that the health impacts of air pollution cost the country £20bn in 2016.

Levels of pollution in the UK’s air are still way above the targets set by the EU. According to a new report from the National Audit Office, 85 per cent of UK “air quality zones” still exceed legal pollution limits eight years after they were supposed to meet them.

The Government estimates that meeting targets for the pollutant nitrogen dioxide will not be achieved until 2026. The report highlights grave concerns that the Government has not done enough to comply with EU regulations concerning air quality.

“The Government’s current air quality plan only skims the surface of what is required,” said a spokesperson from the British Lung Foundation. “Millions of people in towns and cities across the UK are breathing in levels of pollution that are illegal and harmful for their health.”

“Road transport contributes some 80 per cent of nitrogen oxides emissions at the roadside, which is where the UK exceeds the legal limits,” said Lillian Greenwood, chair of the Transport Select Committee. However, overlooked areas such as wood-burning, agriculture and fossil fuel power plants also make significant contributions, and will not be covered until a “wider air quality strategy” is published in 2018. “It’s clear that action on air quality is needed now. Waiting for almost another decade for all parts of the UK to reach acceptable levels of air quality is a deeply disappointing prospect,” said Ms Greenwood.