National Clean Air Day: The toxic statistics behind the UK’s air quality crisis

On a day dedicated to raising awareness about the major health impact air pollution is having on the British public, edie has pulled together some alarming statistics which may quite literally leave you breathless.


Anyone who has followed edie’s editorial content over the past few years will know that air pollution has evolved into a serious threat which affects us all. Many of the UK’s urban areas exceed the safe and legal limits for air pollution, which is mainly caused by road transport. Indeed, in towns and cities across the country, residents can now see, smell and even taste the toxic fumes which contribute to a severe public health hazard.

The UK Government was recently forced to publish a new air quality plan after its previous efforts were rejected for being too weak. But even these latest proposals were described as “woefully inadequate”, so environmental lawyers are taking the Government to the High Court for a third time in a bid to remove “major flaws” from minister’s plans.

The vast majority of people are concerned about how air pollution will impact their health. However, research shows that alarming misconceptions are leading Brits to unnecessarily expose themselves and their families to higher levels of air pollution than first thought.

As such, behaviour change organisation Global Action Plan has today launched the first ever National Clean Air Day, which will see local schools, hospitals and communities across UK cities run events and inspire local residents to act for their own health. The Day is supported by more 50 health institutions, councils and universities, including the Royal College of Physicians, the British Lung Foundation, and various NHS Trusts.

To underline the seriousness of this issue and get you thinking about what needs to happen at a business level to tackle it, edie has devised a quiz to commemorate National Clean Air Day and expose some truly worrying evidence about the harmful effects of pollution on public health.

 

George Ogleby

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe