Fifth report - Air Quality and coronavirus: a glimpse of a different future or business as usual
Select Committee
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
HC 468
11 February 2021
No response data available yet.
Recommendations
11 results
7
Para 57
Alongside the PM2.5 target, the Secretary of State should use his discretionary powers in the...
Recommendation
Alongside the PM2.5 target, the Secretary of State should use his discretionary powers in the Bill to set additional long-term air quality targets to reduce NO2, PM10, SO2, NMVOCs and ammonia. The Government should also commit to a long-term funding …
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8
As part of the Clean Air Strategy the Government should include a timeline on when...
Recommendation
As part of the Clean Air Strategy the Government should include a timeline on when the reduction in limits of other pollutants is to be delivered. (Paragraph 58) National and local action
9
Para 67
We recognise the commitment of the ministers in Defra and DfT, and their officials, to...
Recommendation
We recognise the commitment of the ministers in Defra and DfT, and their officials, to tackling poor air quality. However, it is not clear that this is matched elsewhere in Government, nor is the urgency of the issue being communicated …
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10
Para 72
Government and the public sector at all levels must lead by example on air quality...
Recommendation
Government and the public sector at all levels must lead by example on air quality if they are asking businesses and individuals to make changes. There are numerous examples of that already happening in the NHS, local government and other …
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11
Para 87
Clean Air Zones (CAZs) are the UK Government’s key mechanism for reducing NO2 from road...
Recommendation
Clean Air Zones (CAZs) are the UK Government’s key mechanism for reducing NO2 from road transport to legal levels “in the shortest possible time”, but they illustrate the Government’s over-reliance on local government to deliver progress. CAZs were already being …
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14
Para 95
We welcome the Government’s commitment to a green recovery, including bringing forward the ban on...
Recommendation
We welcome the Government’s commitment to a green recovery, including bringing forward the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars. This must include a strong focus on improving air quality, especially given the risk that changes in local …
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15
Para 96
There are also opportunities to enable businesses to invest to reduce their contribution to air...
Recommendation
There are also opportunities to enable businesses to invest to reduce their contribution to air pollution; but risks this won’t happen given the financial difficulties many face. This should be in addition to the “Best Available Techniques” process which covers …
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16
Para 102
Although reducing the use of public transport has been necessary during the pandemic, action is...
Recommendation
Although reducing the use of public transport has been necessary during the pandemic, action is needed to prevent a permanent shift in public attitudes towards it. As restrictions are lifted, the Government should work with local authorities and providers to …
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17
Para 114
During the first lockdown in spring 2020, active travel increased significantly, facilitated in part by...
Recommendation
During the first lockdown in spring 2020, active travel increased significantly, facilitated in part by timely Government action. It is important that this progress is not lost, and the Government must match its rhetoric on a longer-term shift to active …
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19
Para 116
Active travel schemes, and other local efforts to tackle air pollution, must benefit the communities...
Recommendation
Active travel schemes, and other local efforts to tackle air pollution, must benefit the communities most affected by air pollution, and focus on changing the behaviour of those who contribute most to the problem. They must also avoid undermining public …
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20
The pandemic has caused substantial shifts in how people travel.
Recommendation
The pandemic has caused substantial shifts in how people travel. This has had a positive effect on some measures of air quality; but it is likely to be temporary, and positive moves such as more working from home and active …
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Conclusions (9) Observations and findings — click to expand
1
Conclusion
Para 18
Before the pandemic, the UK had made limited progress in improving air quality, with less than a quarter of air quality assessment areas meeting the annual mean limit for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Lockdown restrictions from March 2020 led to less traffic and changing travel patterns and many people experienced better …
2
Conclusion
The noticeable improvement many people had in their experience of air quality and their wellbeing following the initial lockdown illustrates the benefits of action to tackle air quality for all of us. The tragic death of Ella Kissi-Debrah, and thousands of others each year, shows the costs of the failure …
3
Conclusion
Para 35
Many of the areas with the highest levels of social deprivation are also the most exposed to air pollution and this link is also more pronounced for people from ethnic minority backgrounds. Further research is urgently needed to fully understand the link between poor air quality and covid-19, which the …
4
Conclusion
The Environment Bill should be amended to include a health inequalities target, to reduce the number of deaths associated with air pollution; and to require the Secretary of State to take account of human health considerations when setting or reviewing air quality targets. It should include a duty on all …
5
Conclusion
Para 50
The Committee recommends that the Office for Environmental Protection is given the necessary powers to enforce these limits.
6
Conclusion
Para 56
The Clean Air Strategy is a step in the right direction but relies too much on local authorities, delegating most responsibility for delivering air quality improvements to them without providing sufficient competencies and resources to deliver. It also lacks the ambition to fully address the challenges posed by England’s air …
12
Conclusion
The Government’s framework should ensure that all CAZs are class D (i.e. charging zones), and include time-limited exemptions for people with reduced mobility to help them adapt. (Paragraph 88) Air Quality and coronavirus: a glimpse of a different future or business as usual 45
13
Conclusion
We recognise that CAZs do not address the root causes of air pollution, nor the wider issues beyond their boundaries, and that local leaders sometimes have to strike a difficult balance so as to not “lose the dressing room”. However, at times local government also needs to be prepared to …
18
Conclusion
Para 115
There remains a mixed picture on implementation across the country however, reflecting both local needs but also in some place the willingness of local leaders to make the case for changes which take time to bed-in. We recognise the difficult balancing act that local decision makers face. Engaging the affected …