Failure to act on lethal air pollution criticised as deaths continue to mount
Air quality in London has significantly improved following the introduction of low-emission and ultra-low-emission zones, with nitrogen dioxide levels declining by nearly half between 2016 and 2023, according to a city hall report as published by The Guardian.
The report found that in 2024, nitrogen dioxide was down by about 27% overall across the city, and fine particulate matter from vehicle exhausts was 31% lower in outer London than it would have been without the expansion of the ultra-low-emission zone. Road transport remains a major source of nitrogen oxides and particulate pollution in urban areas, particularly from diesel vehicles, with air quality improving at 99% of monitoring sites across London.
Despite these gains, a recent study showed that as of 2024, many areas in the UK still breach safe air quality limits too often. Air pollution is linked to approximately 30,000 deaths annually in the country, according to the Royal College of Physicians.
Globally, the World Health Organization states that 99% of the population is exposed to air-pollution levels exceeding its health-based guidelines, with nearly 7 million premature deaths each year attributed to it. In New Delhi, considered the most polluted capital, PM2.5 concentrations regularly exceed WHO guidelines by roughly 24 times during peak periods, reducing life expectancy by almost 12 years and contributing to 15% of all deaths there.
During severe pollution episodes, the supreme court in Delhi has ordered lockdowns due to health risks. One justice, Arun Mishra, commented on the situation, and a local doctor compared the air quality on bad days to smoking 50 cigarettes daily.
Prof Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, notes that drivers should turn off their engines instead of idling, especially near schools or parks, to reduce the concentration of exhaust fumes that harm drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
She also highlights that wood-burning stoves and open fires produce substantial fine particulate matter, categorized as indoor air pollution by the WHO. In the UK, this is linked to nearly 2,500 deaths and over 27,000 years of life lost annually, along with thousands of new asthma and diabetes cases.
Ultimately, air quality policies such as emissions standards, clean air zones, transport planning, and regulation of domestic combustion have measurable effects on public health outcomes, with benefits that are immediate and local.
