Tackling pollution

The Environment Secretary has launched a world leading plan to tackle air pollution, clean up our air and save lives. 

Key facts:

The Clean Air Strategy 2019, which the World Health Organisation has described as ‘an example for the rest of the world to follow’, recognises that air pollution is one of the biggest threats to public health.
  • The measures set out in the Clean Air Strategy will cut the costs of air pollution to society by £1.7 billion every year by 2020, rising to £5.3 billion every year from 2030. 
  • The ambitious strategy includes new targets, new powers for local government and confirms that the forthcoming Environment Bill will include new primary legislation on air quality. The UK is the first major economy to adopt air quality goals based on WHO recommendations, going far beyond EU requirements. 
  • While air pollution may conjure images of traffic jams and exhaust fumes, transport is only one part of the story and the new strategy sets out the important role all of us – across all sectors of work and society – can play in reducing emissions and cleaning up our air to protect our health. 

Why this matters:

Breathing dirty air is associated with a host of health problems, from asthma to cardiovascular disease and lung cancer, and all too often it is the most vulnerable – children, older people and those from poorer backgrounds – who are hit hardest. The action we are taking today will save lives and improve the health of the nation.

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