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UK air pollution declines but more needs to be done
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At present, UK air quality is much better than at any time since the industrial revolution, according to the Air Quality Pollutant Inventories (AQPI) report for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, published on Oct 6, 2017, by Defra. The AQPI report used data from the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory database between 1990 and 2015, and shows a decline in emissions for most of the seven major pollutants —ammonia, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOX as NO2), non-methane volatile organic compounds, particulate matter (<10 µm), sulphur dioxide, and lead. “We now have an opportunity to deliver a Green Brexit and improve environmental standards as we leave the EU”, a spokesperson from Defra told The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. The report attributes the success to various air pollution policies. For
example, the substantial decline in lead emissions across the UK since 2000 is consistent with the phase-out of leaded petrol at the end of 1999. The notable decline in emissions of NOX in Scotland since 2007 is most likely linked to the installation of de-NOX abatement systems at Longannet coal-fired power station (Fife, Scotland) and Cockenzie power station (Cockenzie, Scotland). However, concentrations of ammonia and NOX could be reduced further. In the UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations, released in May 2017, Defra noted that the government will provide £255 million to implement ammonia and NOX reduction strategies in UK towns and cities, in addition to the £2·7 billion already set aside. As well as ending the sales of new diesel and petrol cars by 2040, “next year, we will publish a comprehensive
Clean Air Strategy which will set out further steps to tackle air pollution”, said the Defra spokesperson. About 40 000 premature deaths are linked to air pollution annually in the UK, thus there is more work to do according to Martin Williams (King’s College London, London, UK). He told The Lancet Respiratory Medicine that for progress to be made it will be crucial to ensure that the new driving emission regulations actually deliver significant reductions; that policies are put in place to accelerate the introduction of cleaner vehicles; and that the use of older vehicles in urban areas is prohibited or reduced. “Some policies have worked well, [but] what hasn’t really worked yet is getting policy in place to reduce ammonia emissions from agriculture”, he said. “That is a problem still to be solved.”
Vijay Shankar Balakrishnan
www.thelancet.com/respiratory Published online October 20, 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(17)30398-3
Geograph/DavidMartin
UK air pollution declines but more needs to be done
Lancet Respir Med 2017 Published Online October 20, 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S2213-2600(17)30398-3 For the AQPI report see http://naei.beis.gov.uk/reports/ reports?report_id=895 For the UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations see https:// www.gov.uk/government/ consultations/improving-airquality-reducing-nitrogendioxide-in-our-towns-and-cities
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At present, UK air quality is much better than at any time since the industrial revolution, according to the Air Quality Pollutant Inventories (AQPI) report for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, published on Oct 6, 2017, by Defra. The AQPI report used data from the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory database between 1990 and 2015, and shows a decline in emissions for most of the seven major pollutants —ammonia, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOX as NO2), non-methane volatile organic compounds, particulate matter (<10 µm), sulphur dioxide, and lead. “We now have an opportunity to deliver a Green Brexit and improve environmental standards as we leave the EU”, a spokesperson from Defra told The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. The report attributes the success to various air pollution policies. For
example, the substantial decline in lead emissions across the UK since 2000 is consistent with the phase-out of leaded petrol at the end of 1999. The notable decline in emissions of NOX in Scotland since 2007 is most likely linked to the installation of de-NOX abatement systems at Longannet coal-fired power station (Fife, Scotland) and Cockenzie power station (Cockenzie, Scotland). However, concentrations of ammonia and NOX could be reduced further. In the UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations, released in May 2017, Defra noted that the government will provide £255 million to implement ammonia and NOX reduction strategies in UK towns and cities, in addition to the £2·7 billion already set aside. As well as ending the sales of new diesel and petrol cars by 2040, “next year, we will publish a comprehensive
Clean Air Strategy which will set out further steps to tackle air pollution”, said the Defra spokesperson. About 40 000 premature deaths are linked to air pollution annually in the UK, thus there is more work to do according to Martin Williams (King’s College London, London, UK). He told The Lancet Respiratory Medicine that for progress to be made it will be crucial to ensure that the new driving emission regulations actually deliver significant reductions; that policies are put in place to accelerate the introduction of cleaner vehicles; and that the use of older vehicles in urban areas is prohibited or reduced. “Some policies have worked well, [but] what hasn’t really worked yet is getting policy in place to reduce ammonia emissions from agriculture”, he said. “That is a problem still to be solved.”
Vijay Shankar Balakrishnan
www.thelancet.com/respiratory Published online October 20, 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(17)30398-3
Geograph/DavidMartin
UK air pollution declines but more needs to be done
Lancet Respir Med 2017 Published Online October 20, 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S2213-2600(17)30398-3 For the AQPI report see http://naei.beis.gov.uk/reports/ reports?report_id=895 For the UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide Concentrations see https:// www.gov.uk/government/ consultations/improving-airquality-reducing-nitrogendioxide-in-our-towns-and-cities
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