Air pollution is the biggest single environmental threat to public health, and ministers will continue to take robust action to improve air quality and minimise public health impacts. It is encouraging to note that air pollution has reduced significantly since 2010. Emissions of nitrogen dioxide have fallen by 44 per cent, sulphur emissions have fallen by 70 per cent and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions have fallen by 18 per cent.
Through the Environment Act 2021, the Government has consulted on two new targets for PM2.5, which is the pollutant most harmful to human health. This includes an innovative population exposure reduction target which, if achieved, would on average cut people's exposure to PM 2.5 by over a third by 2040, compared to 2018 levels.
The Government has taken action to reduce emissions from domestic burning and introduced legislation in 2021 to phase out the sale of the most polluting solid fuels (wet wood, bituminous (house) coal and high sulphur manufactured solid fuels) used in domestic burning.
Additionally, ministers have driven innovative solutions to improve air quality across a range of sectors, including funding local authorities to use innovative solutions to tackle air quality problems in their local areas through the Air Quality Grant scheme. The Government has more than doubled the funding paid to local authorities through the 21/22 grant scheme to £11.6 million and is now assessing bids for the 22/23 round of funding. Since 2010 more than £42 million has been awarded through the scheme, across almost 500 projects. £883 million has also been made available to affected local authorities to deliver cleaner transport and improve air quality.
Furthermore, ministers have set out key actions to improve air quality in the short and long term, protect vulnerable groups and effectively communicate information to the public. The Government takes its air quality obligations extremely seriously and ministers are taking significant action to deliver the commitments set out in its response to the Prevention of Future Deaths report.
Alongside the measures provided in the Environment Act 2021 and the Clean Air Strategy, Defra recently published Phase 1 of the National Bundle of Care for Children and Young People with Asthma. This sets out interventions to help children, young people, families and carers to control and reduce the risk of asthma attacks and to prevent avoidable harm. Defra has also established a steering group with the Department for Health and Social Care and UKHSA to undertake a comprehensive review of how air quality information is communicated to ensure members of the public, and vulnerable groups in particular, have what they need protect themselves and understand their impact on air quality.