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Policy Brief – Pollution in the United Kingdom

Executive Summary

Air pollution is the single most significant threat to the health and wellbeing of the people in the United Kingdom and across the globe. It negatively impacts the social and environmental determinants of health. Many cities across the United Kingdom continue to experience air pollution primarily due to fossil fuels in the running motor vehicle engines. People living in large towns and English towns inhale highly toxic air. This has led to many being diagnosed with chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, lung cancer, and respiratory infections.

Introduction

Air pollution in the United Kingdom is not limited to a single source. Pollutants in the air can be transported over long distances and affect a large number of people. Although pollution may be happening in the central English cities, it does not mean other country regions are not affected. Emissions in London can rise into the air and travel over long distances to fall in other cities and towns as acid rainfall. The United Kingdom government has been at the forefront in trying to curb air pollution and mitigate climate change by 2030, aiming to promote good human health for everyone. Leveraging on the latest technology by the government, private sector, and the general public is vital in ensuring that the issues of air pollution and climate change at large are addressed.

The primary air pollutants in the country are delicate particulate matter (mp2.50 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Every step taken to mitigate pollution under the Climate Change Act’s commitment, the government hopes to minimize pollution levels in the country. The act aims to minimize NO2 concentrations in the air by half by 2050. Scientific research has shown that more than 29 000 premature deaths reported in the country could be associated with high levels of air pollution.

Methodology

The city reports were obtained from across the country to compare the extent and impacts air pollution has had. The statements included scientific papers and studies that different scholars have conducted. We also accessed data on the statistics about respiratory diseases in the past two decades to determine the trends.

Research, Results, and Conclusions

Descriptive analysis of the data collected indicated that people who lived in major cities across the United Kingdom were more likely to suffer from respiratory diseases than those in small towns and villages. In general, rural regions of the country reported lower pollution levels due to low industrialization levels. At the same time, those in major cities like London and Manchester were more likely to contract respiratory diseases like asthma. There was also evidence that majorly cities that experienced high levels of air pollution were mainly due to fumes from vehicles and factories that have historically dominated significant towns.

Policy Implications/Recommendations

Address the issue of air pollution in the United Kingdom, several policy actions can be taken, including:

We encourage people to adopt active travel through cycling and walking to work. There is a need for infrastructure improvements in major cities to accommodate alternative active trips for this to happen.

They were promoting the adoption of electric vehicles. Many vehicles in the country still run on fossil fuels, responsible for the ongoing air pollution. Electrifying different modes of transportation can be significant in reducing air pollution and promoting good health among the public.

It is curbing industrial and construction emissions by enacting more stringent policies that make it expensive for firms to continue polluting the air.

We are encouraging local communities to adopt cleaner energy sources and new sustainable and environmentally friendly engines.

References

Brown, L., Barnes, J., & Hayes, E. (2021). Traffic-related air pollution reduction at UK schools during the Covid-19 lockdown. Science of the Total Environment, 780, 146651.

Cai, Y., Hodgson, S., Blangiardo, M., Gulliver, J., Morley, D., Fecht, D., … & Hansell, A. L. (2018). Road traffic noise, air pollution, and incident cardiovascular disease: a joint analysis of the HUNT, EPIC-Oxford and UK Biobank cohorts. Environment international, 114, 191-201.

Doiron, Dany, et al. “Air pollution, lung function and COPD: results from the population-based UK Biobank study.” European Respiratory Journal 54.1 (2019).

Kalisa, E., Fadlallah, S., Amani, M., Nahayo, L., & Habiyaremye, G. (2018). Temperature and air pollution relationship during heatwaves in Birmingham, UK. Sustainable cities and society, 43, 111-120.