UK government plans to delay air pollution improvements denied by EU

Plans by the UK government to delay air pollution improvements in 12 UK areas have been denied by the European Commission, which has said air quality must improve in the country.

If air quality requirements are not met in these areas, the UK will be subjected to fines from the EU. The UK government recently released its own statistics on air pollution, finding that it can reduce average life expectancy by up to eight months.

Despite these figures, ministers have been slow to meet agreed European standards on cutting levels of NO2. This a pollutant that is primarily generated from vehicles, and can cause breathing problems, particularly for people with heart or lung problems.

Now, the government has been denied permission by the European Commission to delay air quality improvements in Aberdeen and north-east Scotland; Belfast; Birkenhead; Brighton; Bristol; Liverpool; Preston; Sheffield; south-west England; south Wales; Swansea and Tyneside. A judgement on whether the government can delay meeting NO2 standards in major cities will be made at a later date.

It has asked for London requirements to be pushed back also, chiefly because the capital has the worst air of any European capital, and the UK is likely to be fined over the failure. Daniel Instone, giving evidence on behalf of Defra, said ministers were considering a nationwide network of low-emission zones in which the most polluting vehicles were banned.

According to Simon Birkett, a campaigner from Clean Air in London, these plans are inevitable, and pave the only logical way out of the serious air pollution problems. This is something that is also reflected in the commission's ruling, which will push for action to be taken on the matter sooner rather than later.

NO2 pollution affects long-term health. Experts giving evidence to the Environment Committee, EFRA, said the health of Olympic athletes visiting over the summer should not be harmed as long as the UK avoids a heat-induced smog episode.

Posted by Claire Manning