The Environmental Audit Committee has said that the fact that the UK is failing to meet pollution guidelines set by Europe is putting the health of UK citizens at risk. Not only this, but the health problems are causing the country and economic strain as they are estimated to the cost the country around £15 billion a year to treat.
Rather than actually dealing with the problem of excessive pollution and failing to meet the European guidelines, the UK has been continually negotiating with Europe for extensions on the amount of time they have to meet the pollution guidelines. This is simply causing health concerns for UK citizens and many people are calling on the government to take immediate action.
Some lawyers have suggested that the UK has been breaking EU regulations since 2005. Failure to meet these regulations will ultimately result in significant fines. Research suggests that pollution levels shorten the average life expectancy of someone in the UK by around eight months. For those in the most affected areas this figure is around two years.
John Walley a member of Parliament who is chair of the committee investigating the government’s failure has commented, “It is a scandal that people are dying early from air pollution especially as this is often the most poor people as they have to live near the busiest roads. Dangerous chemicals, diesel fumes and bits of tyre are just a few of the substances that cause significant harm to this group.”
Recent research has suggested that it is not just fumes from the engine that are harmful to people’s health but also small particles that are generated by the cars tyres as well as the braking system.
The regulations from Europe state that a country may exceed the allowed amount of pollution free day 35 times in a year. This year this quota was already exhausted by the end of April. 43 zones are assessed throughout the country and currently in 40 of these the European standards are not being met.
Recent projections by the government estimate that the problem will continue until 2015 and possibly even later for the capital city. Many have thought that the Olympic Games might add to the problem and this is caused ministers to promise that they will be the ‘greenest games on record’.
One of the main attempts by the government to tackle the nitrogen oxide emissions problem is to move haulage off the roads and onto rail, which is a more environmentally friendly method of transporting goods. They have also suggested that vehicles that make less pollution should have a lower price and that retailers should be encouraged to have the goods delivered outside of busy hours.
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has recently put limits on how old Black Cabs can be and has made a great deal of effort into promoting cycling in the capital. A spokesperson from the Department of the Environment has also highlighted that significant funds are being put into reducing pollution by improving transport.
The committee that has been investigating the failure by the government has come up with the suggestion that the government introduced a Low Emission Zones in the areas with the most pollution. The committee has urged the government to take immediate action to rescue the health of the nation.
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