Air quality improvements should be central post-pandemic

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has called on the government to address alarming levels of poor air quality in England.

In their latest report, the EFRA Committee highlights the 'strong and established' case for tackling air pollution, shown to disproportionately affect those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. MPs have urged the government to set tougher targets to lower air pollution if it hopes to reduce the health inequalities laid bare by coronavirus.

Drawing on evidence taken from health experts, local councils and campaign groups, the Committee's Air Quality report urges the Government to firm up its commitment to clean air by amending the Environment Bill, primarily calling on the government to set a specific target to reduce particulate levels in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.   

It also raises concerns that the current Clean Air Strategy, ‘lacks the ambition to fully address' the challenges posed by poor air quality and that targets carried over from EU law could be 'easily amended'. The committee also argues that the current Clean Air Strategy delegates too much responsibility to local authorities without sufficient resources to deliver, and without effective engagement from government.

Responding to fears that social distancing concerns may cause an increase in car use, the MPs call for a public campaign to encourage people to use public transport once the pandemic is over, seeking for further government investment in walking and cycling matches up to its rhetoric.  While the Committee welcomes the government's pledge to a green recovery, including the ban of the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030, it urges the government to make investments in the necessary infrastructure now.

Neil Parish, chair of the EFRA Select Committee, said: "Every year, an estimated 64,000 deaths are linked to air pollution disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities. In rebuilding after the pandemic, we have a moral duty to put improving air quality at its core.

"While the Clean Air Strategy is a step in the right direction, the Government needs to be more ambitious. Before the Environment Bill comes back, commitments to reduce the levels of toxic particulates that cause the most harm must be strengthened—and targets on reducing the health impacts of air pollution included too.

"We were quick to return to our old ways following the spring lockdown, with pollution levels bouncing back by the summer. The government has rightly banned the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, but we need more work to help accelerate towards a greener, cleaner future, so that commuting less and using electric vehicles more will be a real option for the majority."