Air Quality Update

Thursday 13th July 2023 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Dr Thérèse Coffey)]

Air quality in the UK has improved significantly in recent decades. We have seen a decrease in emissions of major air pollutants: for instance, emissions of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), the most damaging pollutant to human health, decreased by 10% between 2010 and 2021. Reductions in these pollutants have produced significant benefits for our health and environment.

These significant reductions in emissions mean that the UK as a whole has achieved the current domestic and international emission reduction commitments for emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and non-methane volatile organic compounds. The UK has also achieved the emission reduction commitments for ammonia with the inclusion of an approved adjustment. The latest figures for other pollutants are published on Gov.uk.

We remain committed to further reducing these levels. This year we have strengthened our stringent standards by setting two legally binding long-term targets for England to reduce concentration levels and exposure to PM_2.5. The figures published today show our continued progress to delivering on these targets: the maximum concentration levels measured have decreased to 12 micrograms per cubic metre. They also confirm that, as we said at the time of publishing the targets, while we would like to see quicker progress, in certain parts of the country this is not realistic.

We have set out our ambitious pathway to improve air quality through the environmental improvement plan and air quality strategy. These documents recognise the essential role of local authorities and set out our progress in meeting our air quality objectives across a range of sectors including from domestic use, roadside emissions, agriculture and industrial processes.

Including:

phasing out the most polluting solid fuels burnt at home,

requiring National Highways to work with local authorities on their local air quality action plan to tackle roadside emissions from the most polluting roads,

continuing to help local authorities develop and implement local N02 reduction plans and to support those impacted by these plans,

rolling out the UK ‘Best Available Technique’ system, by which industry and regulators are able to collaborate to improve standards, technologies and methods in industrial processes,

incentivising ammonia reduction, through our new farming schemes by investing £34 million in slurry storage infrastructure in 2023 and an additional £31 million, a proportion of which is for equipment that will help reduce ammonia emissions,

allocating £4 million to Innovate UK to develop products or services which reduce air pollution emissions from domestic burning and agricultural practices, and

expanding the PM_2.5 monitoring networks across England.

Air quality in England is improving and we have set out an ambitious pathway in the environmental improvement plan to drive down pollution further. As required under the Environment Act 2021, I will provide a further update to the House on our progress in 2024.

[HCWS934]