Another £11m goes to new Air Quality Grant projects
The Air Quality Grant is there to help councils develop and put in place measures for schools, businesses and the wider community. And help drive down the impact of air pollution on people’s health.
After promising a further £11 million for 2023 projects, Environment Minister Rebecca Pow had this to say: “From Tyneside to Cornwall, this funding will support a range of inspiring and innovative projects across the country – stepping up our monitoring of harmful pollutants, educating the public and boosting the use of green transport.”
Projects combine education with new technology
The purpose of the funding is split into two camps – either for projects that educate people and encourage them to change habits, or ones that introduce new technologies and schemes that get to the heart of the problem.
So on the educational side, councils are raising awareness around making greener transport choices and using greener driving practices, such as turning engines off when not in use.
A long-term campaign on Tyneside targets schools and pollution hotspots, educating people of all ages on the dangers of air pollution. Cornwall is even creating an Air Quality Officer to go in and visit schools.
Lewisham in South London is placing monitoring sensors on their streets that give real-time feedback on the levels of pollution in the area.
Other councils are turning up their electric services. Blaby in Leicestershire is introducing electric road sweepers, and Norfolk is introducing an e-cargo bike library, helping local businesses cut costs and lower emissions all at once.
And Westminster is making better use of the Thames – implementing a river freight scheme as a greener alternative to more polluting vehicles clogging the streets of London.
Air Quality Strategy to get an overhaul
The hard work doesn’t stop there. The government has now launched a consultation to revise the Air Quality Strategy too. The aim is to give councils more clarity on the actions they can take to improve air quality. Give guidance on how they can reduce emissions and harmful pollutants. And create a framework that allows local authorities to make the best use of their powers and deliver lasting change.
It will complement the investment that the Air Quality Grant has delivered, and make sure all the funding finds its way over to the most effective projects.
Positive results, but still work to do
But the Air Quality Strategy is just the tip of the air-quality iceberg. The government has also invested over £2 billion on zero-emission vehicles to help reform the UK’s transport system. And a further £883 million on a wider NO2 plan, where local authorities are making a big effort to reduce nitrogen dioxide down to less harmful levels.
Together, these projects have seen emissions fall by 18%, nitrogen oxide levels by 44% and sulphur dioxide by 70%.
It looks like all the funding and effort spent on reducing air pollution and emissions over the past decade is starting to pay off. But there’s still a long way to go. Let’s hope all the good work continues.
Sources
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-pollution-applying-all-our-health/air-pollution-applying-all-our-health
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/107-million-in-funding-for-local-authorities-to-improve-air-quality
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plans-unveiled-to-improve-local-authority-action-on-air-quality
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