Government plans to reduce the most harmful form of air pollution do not go far enough and will condemn a generation of children to ill health, Sadiq Khan has warned.
The Mayor said it was “hugely disappointing” that proposed new targets on PM2.5 particulates would not become legally enforceable until 2040 — and be twice as high as the World Health Organisation’s current recommended maximum levels.
He was marking Clean Air Day today by visiting a “play street” at Great Ormond Street hospital. Cars have been banned from the road for the day to allow patients to play outside.
Mr Khan used his response to a government consultation on introducing a series of environmental targets to accuse ministers of “condemning another generation to a childhood of toxic air”.
PM2.5s, which typically result from tyres, brakes, road debris and wood burning, can penetrate deep within the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing heart and respiratory issues.
In a letter to Environment Secretary George Eustice, Mr Khan said: “Well-designed, ambitious targets can make a huge difference... it is hugely disappointing that this opportunity has been squandered, with targets that are inadequate to the task.”
The Government said the targets would help achieve its aim of the UK being “net zero” by 2050 — 20 years later than the Mayor’s London target.
A Department for the Environment spokesman said: “The targets we are consulting on under the Environment Act are ambitious, world-leading and based on the latest science.”
