News

Larissa Lockwood, Director of Clean Air

An early Christmas present for me is the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) Annual Report on Air Pollution. Chris Whitty’s decision to focus this year’s edition on this topic rightly draws attention to air pollution as a public health emergency. The report is unequivocal that air pollution affects the whole body across a lifetime, with health effects including stroke, coronary heart disease, asthma, lung cancer, diabetes and dementia, and points to even more people dying from air pollution in the UK than previously estimated. Whitty makes it very clear that air quality is a problem we should all be concerned about.

The report is an excellent synopsis of (almost) everything you need to know about air pollution in England, and the issues that need tackling. It also offers hope, showing how it is ‘technically possible’ for us to breathe significantly cleaner air. Running at 300-plus pages, it’s rich in detail and evidence. My key takeaways from an initial reading:

 

1. Recognising the problem of wood burning is the first step towards action 

 

The report recognises the contribution that domestic burning (wood burning stoves and open fires) makes to air pollution. In fact, domestic burning is the second biggest creator of PM2.5 pollution, emitting more than transport. But the vast majority of the public do not know that domestic burning is a source of air pollution, nor that it has harmful health effects for both householders and their neighbours. We now need to build on the report’s recognition of the problem and look to take urgent measures to stop domestic burning pollution in urban areas. 

 

2. The health sector continues to raise its level of ambition 

 

The NHS has made a new commitment to halve its contribution to poor air quality within a decade while reducing health inequalities – a clear and welcome move. The health sector has such a key role to play in tackling air pollution, as our work shows and the report reflects. The Clean Air Hospital Framework developed by Global Action Plan and Great Ormond Street Hospital has been recommended to be used by all NHS trusts. The importance of health professionals talking to patients about air pollution both to help them protect their health and to show public demand for action is also strongly championed, alongside helpful promotion of the resources that Global Action Plan has developed for health professionals – with their input – to have these conversations.  

 

3. The case for a 10µg/m3 PM2.5 target by 2030 is compelling 

 

Alongside other contributors to the report – including government agencies, medical experts, and academics – Global Action Plan has supported the Chief Medical Officer to make the case for action on air pollution. His report further supports the urgency and feasibility of the 10 microgram/m3 PM2.5 target being met in the vast majority of places by 2030, as opposed to the 2040 date proposed in the Environment Act. The CMO’s Annual Report is aimed at government, so I hope it will be used by decision makers to bring the target date forward. 

 

4. The burden of responsibility for change is on governments and business 

 

While the press coverage might focus on challenging motorists who leave their engines idling, the CMO’s report puts the burden of responsibility firmly on governments and business to make the changes we need for clean air. Which is exactly how Global Action Plan sees the air pollution problem: it is a systemic issue that requires systems change. However, to convince decision makers to prioritise actions on air pollution, we as citizens need to call for this change – and this report recognises that ‘societal factors may be the most important driver for change and determining how much progress can be delivered’. This is why, on Clean Air Day and through our Clean Air programmes, we ask people to leave their car at home and walk or wheel not just to reduce their own contribution to air pollution, but to show decision makers that these are choices that people want to make every day and the systems need to change to enable this. Clean Air Day is a joyful demonstration of the public mandate for action on clean air, that also improves public understanding and changes behaviour. 

 

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So why does the Chief Medical Officer’s report feel like a Christmas present to me? Because this is a success in terms of our sustained advocacy on air pollution and the link between environmental and health harms, and because the hard graft of Global Action Plan’s Clean Air Movement has been recognised, with references peppered through the report to our resources and insights to mobilise action on air pollution. And because Professor Chris Whitty is a recognised household name, so I am hopeful that with a highly trusted public figure championing clean air – with all the strength of the environment and health organisations behind him – that me and my family will soon be able to breathe clean air. Now that would be a gift.