Existing measures not sufficient to meet air quality targets, says NAO

A new National Audit Office report has revealed the Government is not yet on track to achieve its targets for reducing air pollution and that it has not communicated effectively with the public on the issue.

The report Tackling local breaches of air quality shows that while emissions of most air pollutants have been falling in recent decades, existing measures will not be sufficient to achieve most of government’s 2030 air quality targets.

The report examines government’s progress in tackling local breaches of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) limits and gives an overview of its performance and approach to air quality more broadly.

It also finds that Government does not clearly communicate air quality issues or its proposed solutions. Whilst it publishes many sets of air quality data and air quality reports, most are inaccessible to the public. People cannot easily find out whether pollution levels breach legal limits in their area, and what progress their local authority is making on tackling those problems.

According to the report, public communications campaigns about Clean Air Zones do not appear to have been fully effective. Some of the local authorities the NAO spoke to have raised concerns about the lack of a coordinated national communications campaign on NO2 emissions.

Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, said:

“Government has made progress with tackling illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide air pollution, but not as fast as expected. There are also concerns about the health risks from particulate matter, which government is finding challenging to tackle. To meet all its 2030 targets for major air pollutants, government will need to develop robust solutions quickly.

“The public need clear information to understand why clean air measures are important and what the measures will mean in their area. Those living in the worst-affected areas ought to be able to find out when and how their air quality is likely to improve.”