Government launches air quality consultation
I was listening to debate on the radio last month about the relative merits of petrol and diesel vehicles. The debate suggested the death of the diesel car. Not in my lifetime I thought. This article is really interesting as it profiles action, albeit firstly in cities, which makes me reflect that perhaps I was wrong. I still think there’s a deeper discussion to be had about the gap between alternatives such as electric vehicles and our current behaviours. The whole process of energy adjustment is fraught with unintended consequences, which is why for example, we now face the prospect of not enough electricity generating capacity once our coal fired power stations run out. I hope we don’t repeat that failure and get ourselves into a similar bind with cars. This article tells us:
Our environment has never been cleaner and even our busiest cities have seen falls in harmful emissions, with a 15 per cent reduction in average roadside concentrations of NO2 since 2010. But further action is needed at a local and national level to meet clean air targets, especially in major cities such as London, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Southampton and Derby.
The plans released for consultation today outline how new, green technology can be exploited to create communities where people want to live and work, while boosting our growing economy and making Britain a world leader in low emission technology.
Building on the success of similar schemes across the UK, the plans ask local authorities who are facing particular challenges to look at further action such as creating Clean Air Zones, introducing low emission buses and taxis, and using data to inform new road layouts.
Options local authorities can consider include:
- networks of electric car charging points
- introducing low emission buses and taxis or converting fleets
- upgrading cycling infrastructure
- introducing or expanding park and ride schemes