ClientEarth launches a new campaign to clean up London's air

27 July 2009 | View press release

The UK government is failing by a wide margin to meet its legal obligations to combat air pollution in London. With three years remaining until the London 2012 Olympics, ClientEarth intends to compel the authorities to tackle the issue fully. London has the worst air quality in the UK and some of the worst in Europe.  Recent figures have suggested that air pollution directly contributes to around 3,000 deaths each year in London alone.  By comparison, workplace-related passive smoking contributed to 617 deaths per year across the UK prior to the smoking ban.  The air quality failures in the capital are part of a wider national problem, with an estimated healthcare cost of up to £21 billion every year.