On Air Quality – analysis and ideas on tackling air pollution
Last week the university’s Policy@Manchester launched their latest publication: On Air Quality. The report features expert analysis and thought leadership on addressing the air pollution problem, from academics across The University of Manchester.
In 2019, 2.31 million global deaths could be attributed to household, or indoor air pollution. For England alone, this figure is around 64,000 deaths, with disadvantaged communities disproportionately impacted.
Since the great smog of 1952 killed 4,000 people in London, “We’ve known for a long time that air pollution is bad for our health and for the environment” says Mary Creagh in the foreword of On Air Quality. Mary is Chief Executive of Living Streets, the charity for everyday walking, former Member of Parliament for Wakefield, and chair of the House of Commons Environmental Audit select Committee.
The articles in On Air Quality explore how air pollution affects public health, economic outcomes and acts to widen existing inequalities; they also provide recommendations for policymakers on how these impacts can be addressed.
Key recommendations include:
- Lowering the UK limit values for PM2.5 to those set at the stricter WHO recommended levels.
- Reducing exposure to traffic-related air pollutants around schools.
- Reviewing the impact on local authorities of the Defra air quality grant programme.
- Expanding the school air quality audit programme in cities nationwide.
- Ensuring planning regulations co-considers greenhouse gas and air pollutant concentrations.
- Extending projects such as the Manchester Urban Observatory and citizen science projects such as Britain Breathing in order to both provide accurate on-the-ground information while also engaging disproportionally affected communities.
Policy@Manchester aims to impact lives globally, nationally and locally through influencing and challenging policymakers with robust research-informed evidence and ideas. If you would like to discuss the research in more detail with any of the academic contributors, email policy@manchester.ac.uk.