Sounds like a good thing, doesn’t it. We’d all like to think that when we head out ‘for some fresh air’ we’re doing exactly that but, unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Especially where I’m sitting typing this, apparently. I just put my address into the Imperial College London’s ‘Address Pollution’ website [https://addresspollution.org] and found I should probably move house sooner rather than later – except that the problem of air pollution is a problem for everyone, everywhere so fixing it would be a better idea than just moving house.

It effects everything! Research by Harvard, Queen Mary and York universities suggests that even Covid-19 deaths, and likelihood of infection, are related to air pollution(1) and areas with higher concentrations of air pollution tend to be right where poorer communities are living, which exacerbates other inequalities.

According to the Royal College of Physicians, air pollution causes 40,000 early deaths, at a cost of £20 billion, each year.(1)

Cutting air pollution, everywhere, is part of our international commitment to reaching Net Zero and is, basically, essential for all of us, the world over.

Here at Hanson Zandi, following our pro bono campaign for the APPG On Air Pollution and The Times, we totally support keeping up the pressure for a new Clean Air Act. The All Party Parliamentary Group On Air Pollution continues to campaign for cleaner air supported by scientists, doctors, environmental lawyers and local authorities. You can help them to change legislation by letting your politicians know that you care about air quality and ask them to #Act4CleanAir at appgaq.wordpress.com.

Clean Air Day is the UK’s largest air pollution campaign, bringing together communities, businesses, schools and the health sector. It is organised by Global Action Plan and you can get involved, every day, at www.actionforcleanair.org.uk

#CleanAirDay #Act4CleanAir

References:

1. All Party Parliamentary Group On Air Pollution [https://appgaq.wordpress.com]