Defra announced today that it was submitting its application for a further delay on crucial EU air quality targets — targets that the UK was meant to meet by 2005 (1).
EU air quality targets are negotiated in the EU Parliament to reduce the pollutant particles found in London’s air. These particles have been linked to asthma, cardiovascular problems and lung cancer.
Darren Johnson, Green member of the London Assembly, said that: "Worrying new figures suggest that over 3,000 Londoners die prematurely from air pollution every year. Yet the Government is now asking for a further delay in dealing with the problem."
"The Government has missed the 2005 legal deadline for cleaning up London’s air. We now have the ambiguity of the Government’s action plan for 2010 including a major policy which the London mayor has said he wants to abandon. Stage 3 of the Low Emission Zone would have taken 90,000 of the most polluting diesel vehicles off london’s roads during the next year. The Low Emission Zone was the culmination of several years of discussion and debate which saw other options rejected as either too expensive or inadequate."
"I find it rather dubious that this plan for improving Londoners’ health is based upon the promise that the London mayor will come up with a Plan B in the next few weeks and be able to implement it within the next year."
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Notes to Editors:
(1) ‘Defra submits UK application to the European Commission for an extension to meet PM10 air quality limits’ – http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2009/090424.htm