CIEH echoes calls for ‘urgent, coordinated action’ by the Government to tackle air pollution

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has joined with fellow members of the Healthy Air Coalition to launch a blueprint for tackling air pollution in the UK and call for the Government to act to bring air pollution down to lower levels.

CIEH is one of 30 members of the Healthy Air Coalition united by the shared vision of a UK free from toxic air and it released a report outlining what it sees as the main sources of air pollution and provides corresponding solutions to tackle them.

‘Making Britain’s air cleaner, healthier and better to breathe: A blueprint for government action on clean air’ is being launched in parliament and calls for four overarching policy shifts to tackle levels of unsafe air pollution and realise the benefits of clean air for people’s health, the NHS and the economy.

These are to:

• Strengthen the clean air regulatory framework – this includes introducing a Clean Air Act that sets ambitious targets for air quality, aligned with the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) air quality guidelines and to commit to long-term funding for local authorities to enforce regulations.
• Deliver the transition to clean home heating – this should involve the phasing out of the use of wood burning stoves, open fires and other solid fuel burning as soon as possible, delivering the Warm Homes Plan in full and developing a cross-government strategy to address indoor air pollution.
• Reduce reliance on cars and promote cleaner transport options – this includes a commitment to a traffic reduction target that will bring down nitrogen dioxide air pollution in line with WHO guidelines and deliver cleaner public transport that is more affordable, accessible and reliable for all.
• Clean up polluting practices in farming and industry – among the calls in the report are for the strengthening of air quality regulations in the construction sector and improve local authority enforcement capacity, as well as ensuring plans to decarbonise aviation also reduce air pollution emissions.

The report rightfully highlights the need for dedicated funding to deliver clean air schemes and enforce regulations at a local level and also highlights the fact that the Air Quality Grant Scheme, which provided over £53m for air quality improvement projects since 2010, was paused in May 2024 with no commitment to reinstate it.

CIEH agrees that the Government now has an opportunity to incorporate air pollution into its mission for economic growth, via its promise to ‘give councils multi-year funding settlements and end wasteful competitive bidding’.

Joan Walley, Honorary Vice President of CIEH, said: “CIEH is a proud member of the Healthy Air Coalition and welcomes this new blueprint for government action to tackle air pollution – clean air is fundamental to our health and wellbeing, yet air pollution in the UK remains one of the most serious environmental health risks.

“Toxic air is putting a severe strain on the UK economy and health service with up to 43,000 early deaths linked to air pollution every year and health problems resulting from air pollution costing the UK £20 billion per year.

“Of the recommendations those that CIEH particularly seeks urgent action on are the introduction of a new Clean Air Act with ambitious targets for air quality, in line with the latest WHO air quality guidelines, which we have long campaigned for, as well as the phasing out of wood burning stoves, where viable alternatives are available, to improve indoor air quality.

“What is clear is that action cannot wait any longer and if the Government is committed to building an NHS fit for the future by preventing disease before it develops and kickstarting economic growth by improving population health and curbing congestion, it must heed the calls contained in this report and take action now.”

The full report can be read here: https://www.healthyair.org.uk/healthy-air-coalition-launches-new-report/