Founder of the campaign group Clean Air in London, Green MEP Jean Lambert, calls for arguments over whose fault the latest smog episode is to cease and instead for “concrete measures to reduce the number of pollutants emitted” to be taken.
As London remains shrouded in air pollution, the capital’s Green MEP Jean Lambert has called for longer-term thinking – and EU co-operation – to prevent future smog episodes.
“We need to get people out of their cars – and onto clean public transport, bicycles, as well as boosting the number of journeys made on foot – if we are to tame London’s air pollution,” she said.
“The EU is revising its air quality guidelines, and the UK needs to be at the heart of the debate and make sure we listen to the World Health Organisation about what is an ‘acceptable’ level of pollution in a major city like London.
“Latest figures suggest as many as 4,000 preventable deaths are caused by poor air quality each year, in London alone – and more of these deaths happen in the most deprived areas of the city.
“But politicians are arguing, perversely, about whether this latest smog episode is the fault of Saharan dust – or even the EU – when what they should be doing is taking concrete measures to reduce the number of pollutants being emitted by our vehicles and factories.”
Ms Lambert, who is also a founder of the campaign group Clean Air in London, added: “Air pollution travels across borders – and even, as we are seeing this week, the Channel – so we need to co-operate internationally to solve the problem.
“That means working to adopt tough new EU targets based on what’s safe, and then taking measures to meet them – not just trying to blame foreign sources and undermining international rules, as the Mayor of London and the Government have been doing.”