A new report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy UK (IEEP UK), released today, analyses policy case studies across six European countries aimed at improving air quality and examines the lessons that can be drawn for the UK. It follows on from our recent State of Play report on UK-EU divergence on air quality, which found the UK to be lagging behind the EU.

Air pollution is the greatest environmental threat to public health in the UK, responsible for an estimated 30,000 deaths in the UK each year. While the UK’s air quality legislation has, as a whole, fallen behind that of the EU since Brexit, the UK Government’s renewed desire for closer relations with Europe could boost UK air quality by adoption of leading policies from across the continent. Through this approach, Andy Burnham could build on his previous focus on public health whilst Mayor of Manchester and drive progress on air pollution across the UK.

This paper highlights multiple European blueprints for the UK to follow on a range of areas. It looks at France’s progress on indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring through the Grenelle II Law, which mandated the monitoring of air quality in buildings receiving the public. This monitoring marks an important first step in taking seriously the threat of indoor air pollution to public health and moving toward taking action to address it, and provides valuable lessons for the UK which has no formal policy on IAQ in public buildings or homes.

It also studies Denmark’s progress on reducing agricultural ammonia emissions. As a major livestock-producing nation, Denmark has had to work hard to reduce the powerful pollution effects of agricultural ammonia, including through novel policy instruments such as its ‘Green Tripartite Agreement’. This has been able to reduce nitrogen pollution while also promoting biodiversity through the restoration of forests and peatland, although implementation remains in early stages. Nitrogen pollution is also a major threat to the UK.

The report also looks at Spain’s urban planning interventions through Barcelona’s “Superblocks”; Sweden’s action on methane from waste; Poland’s home heating and energy efficiency programme; and Norway’s rollout of electric vehicles.

The findings of the report add weight to calls for the UK to rejoin the European Environment Agency (EEA), which it left at the point of Brexit. Membership of the EEA is open to non-EU states and would allow for critical data sharing on domestic and transboundary pollution, national policies and shared approaches to tackle it, as well as strengthening environmental protections in the UK and the rest of Europe.

Christopher Crompton, Senior Policy Analyst at IEEP UK and author of the report said: 

“We can learn a lot by comparing specific policies aimed at reducing key air pollutants in other European countries with our own actions here in the UK. Whether successes or pitfalls, the exchange of lessons is more important than ever as we navigate post-Brexit waters.

“We’ve done well to reduce air pollution but there is much still to be done, and looking at a range of policy options across different sectors and pollutants helps to highlight the possible ways forward.”

Mark Heffernan, Director of Policy, Influencing and Communications at Impact on Urban Health, which funded the report, said:

“Every year in the UK, air pollution contributes to up to 30,000 premature deaths and costs the economy £29 billion. The burden is not shared equally: children, older people, people from racialised communities and those on lower incomes are hit hardest, particularly in urban areas.

“Impact on Urban Health is proud to support this research from IEEP UK, which shows the range of positive interventions available to governments to improve air quality and health.

“As the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) begins developing the new Air Quality Strategy for England, we urge the department to learn from best practice examples from within the UK and beyond.

“We know how to improve air quality. All we need is a clear vision and framework from national government to support local authorities to reduce air pollution for communities in every postcode.”

The full report, “Learning From Our Neighbours: Air Quality Policy in Europe”, is available on our website by following this link.

Photo by Logan Armstrong on Unsplash