| Mayor’s air quality strategy fails to meet legal responsibilities |
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13 August 2010 | Press release Strategy consultation closes The mayor is failing to discharge his legal responsibilities to clean up London’s illegal air pollution as his strategy does not contain measures that will bring the capital’s air quality within legal limits. On the final day of consultation on the Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy (MAQS) environmental law NGO ClientEarth’s response says the strategy needs drastic improvement. Alan Andrews, health and environment lawyer at ClientEarth, said: “The strategy’s lack of ambition is startling, when you consider that illegal levels of air pollution contribute to 4,300 premature deaths in London each year and could result in EU fines of £300m. “In a strategy aiming to set out five to 10 years of air quality improvement, the only measures that are scheduled to be implemented before 2012 are untried and untested ideas such as power-washing roads and smoothing traffic in some pollution hotspots in central London. These measures treat the symptoms, when we need bold policies that address the underlying cause of our air quality problems – traffic pollution. Meanwhile the mayor is trying to backslide on measures with proven air quality benefits, such as the Western Extension Zone and the next phase of the Low Emission Zone. “The central theme of the strategy is that most action needs to come from central government and local authorities - not from Boris. But, UK law puts responsibility for cleaning up London’s air pollution squarely on City Hall’s doorstep.” The strategy does contain some good measures, such as a proposed age limit for taxis and a new fleet of hybrid buses. However, these measures don’t go nearly far enough, and aren’t coming soon enough to make a real impression on London’s air pollution. ClientEarth believes a central London low emission zone which bans all but the cleanest vehicles – assisted by a scrappage and retrofit scheme – is the scale of measure required if the mayor is to bring London’s air pollution within legal limits. ENDS To read ClientEarth’s consultation response click here To find out more about ClientEarth’s work on London’s air pollution, and their CleanAir campaign for the Olympics click here: http://www.clientearth.org/cleanair-for-london For further information and comment contact: Mike Haines | Communications officer | t. +44 (0) 207 749 5978 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or George Leigh | Communications officer | t. +44 (0) 203 030 5951 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it About ClientEarth ClientEarth is a non-profit environmental law organisation based in London, Brussels and Warsaw. We are lawyers working at the interface of law, science and policy. Using the power of the law, we develop legal strategies and tools to address major environmental issues. As legal experts working in the public interest, we act to strengthen the work of our partners – both governments and NGOs. www.clientearth.org |
