Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Dr
Thérèse Coffey): Air quality in the UK has
improved significantly in recent decades. We have seen a decrease
in emissions of major air pollutants: for instance, emissions of
fine particulate matter (PM2.5), the most damaging pollutant to
human health, decreased by 10% between 2010 and 2021. Reductions
in these pollutants have produced significant benefits for our
health and environment.
These significant reductions in emissions mean that the UK as a
whole has achieved the current domestic and international
emission reduction commitments for emissions of nitrogen oxides,
sulphur dioxide and non-methane volatile organic compounds. The
UK has also achieved the emission reduction commitments for
ammonia with the inclusion of an approved adjustment. The latest
figures for other pollutants are published on Gov.UK.
We remain committed to further reducing these levels. This year
we have strengthened our stringent standards by setting two
legally binding long-term targets for England to reduce
concentration levels and exposure to PM2.5. The figures published
today show our continued progress to delivering on these targets:
the maximum concentration levels measured have decreased to
12µg/m3. They also confirm that, as we said at the
time of publishing the targets, while we would like to see
quicker progress, in certain parts of the country this is not
realistic.
We have set out our ambitious pathway to improve air quality
through the Environmental Improvement Plan and Air Quality
Strategy. These documents recognise the essential role of local
authorities and set out our progress in meeting our air quality
objectives across a range of sectors including from domestic use,
roadside emissions, agriculture and industrial processes.
Including:
- phasing out the most polluting solid fuels burnt at home,
- requiring National Highways to work with local authorities on
their local air quality action plans to tackle roadside emissions
from the most polluting roads,
- continuing to help local authorities develop and implement
local NO2 reduction plans and to support those impacted by these
plans,
- rolling out the UK ‘Best Available Technique’ system, by
which industry and regulators are able to collaborate to improve
standards, technologies and methods in industrial processes,
- incentivising ammonia reduction, through our new farming
schemes by investing £34 million in slurry storage infrastructure
in 2023 and an additional £31m, a proportion of which is for
equipment that will help reduce ammonia emissions,
- allocating £4m to Innovate UK to develop products or services
which reduce air pollution emissions from domestic burning and
agricultural practices, and
- expanding the PM2.5 monitoring networks across England.
Air quality in England is improving and we have set out an
ambitious pathway in the Environmental Improvement Plan to drive
down pollution further. As required under the Environment Act
2021, I will provide a further update to the House on our
progress in 2024.
