Recent News

In a joint report, four House of Commons Select Committees have called for a new Clean Air Act, for car makers to pay towards a clean air fund, and to bring forward the target for 100% clean car production from 2040.

The report is the product of an unprecedented four-way inquiry by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Environmental Audit, Health and Social Care, and Transport Committees, to which the IAQM submitted evidence last year. It concludes that:

• Air pollution is a national health emergency resulting in an estimated 40,000 early deaths each year, costing the UK £20 billion annually. It is unacceptable that successive governments have failed to protect the public from poisonous air.
• Despite a series of court cases, the Government has still not produced a plan that adequately addresses the scale of the challenge. Nor has it demonstrated the national leadership needed to bring about a step change in how the problem of air quality is tackled.
• The Government’s approach is more concerned with box-ticking and demonstrating compliance than taking bold, affirmative action.

A summary of the report’s recommendations, and comments from the committee chairs, can be viewed on the committees’ web pages. Alternatively, the full report is available to download (pdf).