On the eve of Clean Air Day 2020, Clean Air in London is calling for a new Clean Air Act before COP26 The Conservative Party gave us the first Clean Air Act in 1956. However, air pollution is still the UK’s largest environmental health risk and has made us more susceptible to COVID-19. We know … Read more
Simon Birkett
Presentation to CASANZ 2021 on 18 May 2021 CASANZ 180521_AP and Climate before COP26_Final 180521
The Government has unveiled a new Environment Bill that is extremely disappointing and pale in comparison to its ground-breaking predecessor in 1995. Worse, days after the Prime Minister claimed that the Environment Bill would update the Clean Air Act 1993, our analysis shows that it would do little or nothing to clean air over the … Read more
Air pollution is the world’s largest environmental health risk, killing about seven million people every year. The ULEZ is being implemented almost exactly 10 years after ‘Clean Air in London’ (CAL) called for such a ‘Berlin-style’ inner low emission zone in London. Air pollution monitor in the Strand has reported 18/18 exceedances of nitrogen dioxide … Read more
UN Environment’s sixth Global Environmental Outlook (GEO6) was published at UNEA4. GEO6 is the most comprehensive report on the global environment since 2012. It: covers air, land, oceans/marine, freshwater and biodiversity; shows that the overall environmental situation is deteriorating globally; and that the window for action is closing. Quote Simon Birkett, Founder and … Read more
Baroness Jenny Jones (Green Party) ‘introduced’ the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill to the House of Lords on 5 July 2018 i.e. the 62nd anniversary of the first Clean Air Act receiving Royal Assent and the National Health Service’s 70th birthday. The full legal text was published online on 6 July 2018. https://cleanair.london/clean-air-act/ The ‘first … Read more
Clean Air in London has issued a #CodeYellow warning to the organisers of the ‘Rock and Roll Liverpool Marathon’ and ‘Great Manchester Run’ for MODERATE air pollution on Sunday 20 May 2018 This warning follows a number of days of forecasts of MODERATE air pollution in Liverpool and Manchester for Sunday 20 May 2018. … Read more
European Commission (Commission) has referred the UK to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for its failure to comply with limit values for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) ‘as soon as possible’. France and Germany have also been referred to the CJEU on NO2. Hungary and Italy have been referred over persistently high … Read more
Written evidence submitted to Parliament’s Super Inquiry into Air Quality Improving air quality inquiry I am writing on behalf of Clean Air in London (CAL) to respond to the unprecedented joint inquiry on air quality relaunched by the Environmental Audit Committee and the Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Health and Transport Committees. CAL is a … Read more
#ULEZ and #TCharge are important steps on the path to banning carcinogenic diesel fumes in London. But Mayor Khan must take bigger, stronger and smarter steps to keep his manifesto pledge to ‘restore London’s air quality to legal and safe levels’. The Emissions Surcharge (T-Charge or #TCharge) commenced in London at 7.00am on Monday 23 … Read more
Air pollution in the London Underground (‘tube dust’): expert health advice; warnings; and action Dear Sadiq I am writing on behalf of Clean Air in London (CAL) about air pollution in the London Underground (‘tube dust’ and ‘Tube’) to urge you to do much more, much faster to: understand the health risks (adopting a precautionary … Read more
Blame Maggie Thatcher and every Government since for knowingly poisoning us with carcinogenic diesel fumes Government’s new nitrogen dioxide (NO2) plan reveals bigger problems and less action than expected and no commitment to diesel scrappage. London is still expected to breach the World Health Organisation guideline and legal limit for NO2 in 2030 with no … Read more
