Why have Friends of the Earth joined the Healthy Air Campaign?

18 July 2011

Here are 3 good reasons. There's the threat of fines, and health problems hitting the most vulnerable and poorest people hardest. Also that it seems more relevant to people's lives than climate change, yet tackling its biggest cause - too much dirty traffic - improves both, and it also contributes directly to warming the planet.

But see what you think. Or see the Healthy Air Campaign launch media release.

1. Threat of fines

We stand to be fined hundreds of millions of pounds if the UK carries on failing EU air pollution legal limits, and £175m from the International Olympic Committee as well because to host the Games we signed up to achieving compliance with EU limits.

London has been breaching the EU limit for dangerous tiny airborne particles (PM10) since 2005. Limits must now be met following a time extension allowed until 2011 - but unproven experimental measures like dust suppressants (literally sticking dust to roads) are being relied on.

PM10s are a problem in other urban areas too - given the World Health Organisation recommended levels are about twice as stringent as the EU's.

A bigger problem is Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) breaches across the UK. The recent government consultation - part of trying to get the 2010 deadline extended to 2015 - shockingly shows 16 areas of the UK not due to meet legal limits until 2020, and London not until 2025.

2. Health problems

Air pollution causes sickness and premature death, particularly affecting some of the most vulnerable and poorest people. PM10 and NO2 are primarily road traffic related.

Recent research suggests that living near busy roads could be responsible for 15-30% of all new cases of asthma in children, and of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary heart disease in older people.

Worse - it is accepted that poorer people are disproportionately affected from being more likely to live by main roads, where air pollution is worst.

Greater London Authority research shows more than 4,200 premature deaths a year in London attributable to long-term exposure to PM10s - about as many as reported from the more visible 1952 'great smog' in the capital. The equivalent UK figure is 29,000.

3. More relevant but linked to climate change

Reducing pollution from traffic was Londoners' 3^rd choice for priority action on the environment, while climate change only came 11^th.

But measures to cut traffic levels help tackle both issues - such as reducing the need for unnecessary travel, prioritising funding to encourage walking, cycling and public transport use, and abandoning schemes that increase road (or airport) capacity.

In deprived east London the defeated Thames Gateway road bridge would have taken air pollution over a NO2 EU limit. Now, a 50% increase in flights allowed for City airport is set to do the same.

And air pollutants have substantial climate changing impacts - but tackling them can have immediate benefits, slowing the rate of dangerous temperature rise, the UN Environment Programme says.

Action required!

It is unacceptable that the government and Mayor in London are failing to do enough on air pollution, but the same goes for their predecessors and many local authorities. Much more can and must be done, urgently.

So we joined the Healthy Air Campaign to raise public awareness and put pressure on government to act - not least as it's also a justice and inequalities issue, and a climate change one.

The issue is beginning to concentrate minds - the Environmental Audit Committee is investigating, and in London's 2012 Mayoral elections it's expected to be the environmental issue. There have been direct action and well-known artist contributions too. Do you think it's good that Friends of the Earth is involved as well?