Air Quality: The UK Perspective

1
Air Quality The UK Perspective

• Carol Tidmarsh
• Air and Environment Quality Division
• Defra
• Portsmouth Air Quality Conference
• 18 January 2007

2
Outline

• Air quality and health issues
• Main air quality problems today
• European
• National
• Local
• - LAQM
• - LTP2

3
Air Quality Why Does It Matter?

• Air Quality is a quality of life, and health and
  environmental issue
• 12-24,000 deaths a year brought forward by
  short-term exposure to air pollution
• Air pollution estimated to reduce life expectancy
  of every person in UK by average of 8 months
• 2003, 55 of natural habitats in the UK exceeded
  levels of harmful acidity

4
Air Quality Background

• Air quality has been improving mainly due to
  tighter Euro standards on vehicles and fuels and
  tighter industrial controls
• Between 1990-2001, improvements helped to avoid
  4,225 premature deaths in each of those years
• We continue to meet the Air Quality Strategys
  objectives for carbon monoxide, benzene and 1,3
  butadiene, and lead

5
Air Quality Background

• And we are meeting current objectives for all
  pollutants in most parts of the country up to
  99 in some cases
• But it is unlikely we will meet objectives for
  particles and nitrogen dioxide in all parts of
  the country particularly London
• Some of the pollutants, such as particles (PM10)
  have no safe level of concentrations
• Improvements in areas even already below
  objective levels generate cost effective health
  benefits

6
Where are the main problems today?

• Major urban centres, London, Sheffield,
  Manchester, Liverpool etc
• Areas close to major road links motorways/A
  roads
• Street canyons in smaller towns
• Very few areas have high levels of SO2 near to
  industrial sources

7
Who is responsible for delivering cleaner air?

• All of us!
• International/European
• National Government
• Local
• Industry/Transport/Businesses
• Individuals

8
European

• Air Quality Framework Directive and Daughter
  Directives
• 1st AQDD NO2, NOx, PM10, SO2, Lead(1999)
• 2nd AQDD - Benzene, Carbon Monoxide (2000)
• 3rd AQDD Ozone (2002)
• 4th AQDD heavy metals and PAHs (2007)

9
National Air Quality Strategy

• Required by Environment Act 1995
• To include
• policies for limiting air pollution
• standards and objectives for air pollutants
• measures to be taken to achieve them.
• First Strategy 1997 current Strategy published
  January 2000 with an Addendum in February 2003
• Strategy to be kept under review

10
National Air Quality Strategy
11
AQSR consultation proposals

• New policy measures
• Transport
• Industrial/Domestic
• Shipping
• Combined measures
• Packages of measures
• New objectives
• PM2.5 coupled with Exposure-Reduction approach
• Ecosystems - N0x S02 O3

12
AQS review next steps

• A summary report of the comments received is
  available on Defras website.
• Defra and DAs now carrying out further modelling
  and sensitivity work on some of the proposed new
  measures
• Updating baseline with latest data new energy
  projections,etc
• Ministerial clearance process starts shortly
• Aim to publish a final revised AQS in Spring 2007

13
Other Transport Issues

• DfTs Transport Innovation Fund supporting
  local road pricing and transport packages
  schemes must not be detrimental to the
  environment
• Cycling England Government doubled budget to
  10m a year over 3 years
• DfT looking to publicise interim results from
  Sustainable Travel Towns, Darlington,
  Peterborough and Worcester

14
Other Transport Issues

• Darlington 3 reduction in car driver trips
  with increases in walking (4) and public
  transport (14)
• Peterborough 13 reduction in car driver trips,
  with increases in walking (21), cycling (25)
  and public transport (13)
• Worcester - 12 reduction in car driver trips and
  increase in walking (17), cycling (36) and
  public transport (22)
• Over next two years, these 3 Individual Travel
  Marketing programmes are being rolled out to a
  total of 40,000, 30,000 and 23,000 households
  respectively

15
LAQM Stats (UK)

• LAs with AQMA(s) 197
• AQMA by pollutants
• LA Action Plans received draft c. 120
• 
  final c. 100

16
Local Transport Plans (LTPs)

• Local authorities encouraged to integrate action
  plans into the Local Transport Plan
• Final LTPs received March 2006
• Defras consultants, Bureau Veritas/Transport,
  Travel Research Ltd appraised all 82 Plans
• LTP assessments were issued in December 2006

17
Summary

• Government is continuing to press ahead in taking
  action to move us closer to meeting the national
  air quality objectives
• Continuing to link and raise the profile of air
  quality in other policy areas
• Fully recognise local authorities are important
  delivery partners and we will continue to work in
  partnership