The Government has today published its
Clean Air Strategy which includes measures to prohibit the sale
of the most polluting fuels for wood-burning stoves and open
fires.
It also outlines steps that intend to make the UK to become the
first major economy to adopt goals based on World Health
Organisation recommendations.
In response, AM, Chair of
the London Assembly Environment Committee,
said:
“The medical evidence concerning the impact of poor air
pollution is overwhelming. The air we breathe is killing
vulnerable Londoners.
“We need an unflinching and wide-ranging response which meets
and matches the true scale of the crisis. This strategy is one
part of the answer but it remains a concern that the Government
is proposing nothing new to tackle road pollution. The strategy,
as a whole, is short on detail and we want to see targets that
are binding and implemented to strict deadlines.
“While we welcome any measures that will reduce Londoners’
exposure to damaging pollutants – such as the proposed ban on
certain fuels – they must be backed by legislative muscle.
Londoners should have a legally enforceable right to clean
air.
“If the Government is serious about tackling air pollution it
should not be pressing ahead with a third runway at Heathrow. Its
own analysis shows that expansion would increase congestion and
toxic air pollution across a wide area of London.”
