Our Freedom of Information request has been published by The Guardian this morning. What these figures reveal about inequality is shocking. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Alarm over hospital lung admissions for children in England’s poorest postcodes

Exclusive: Analysis of NHS England data reveals stark impact of air pollution in deprived areas

theguardian.com

What's new about the Govt's new Environment Improvement Plan? Is it it ambitious enough? And what does it mean for air quality? Enjoyed working on this one with @benrpearce.bsky.social

Impact on Urban Health@impurbanhealth.bsky.social · 10mo ago

"Is the Government is just committing to levels it’s already close to meeting? "Not quite. The Government’s ambition looks very different when viewed through the lens of exposure and inequality." @benrpearce.bsky.social for @air-quality-news.bsky.social

It was positive to see the EIP published earlier this week. Highlights include: - Acknowledgement we need to focus on sources such as woodburning and freight - EU alignment on PM2.5 targets - Support for local authority AQ teams - More data to build awareness and engagement with vulnerable groups

Impact on Urban Health@impurbanhealth.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Ben Pearce @benrpearce.bsky.social, Head of our Health Effects of Air Pollution programme: "Every year in the UK, air pollution contributes to up to 43,000 premature deaths." 🧵👇1/2 airqualitynews.com/editors-pick...

🚨Great news! Limit for UK’s most dangerous air pollutant, PM2.5, is being cut to 10 µg/m³ by 2030. 🔥New Environmental Improvement Plan aims to reduce emissions at source. 👏Kudos to Emma Reynolds and Defra for setting ambitious targets. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025

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gov.uk

#BanDiesel | @london.gov.uk pledged he'd restore London's #AirQuality to legal and safe levels in 2016. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels are neither. In a way, we're back where we thought we were 20 years ago after @who.int slashed guideline levels in 2021. We need zero air emission buses and buildings

🔔London meets clean air laws🔔 Great news that London has finally met legal limits for NO2, proving that bold action on dirty air delivers real results. This is a crucial milestone towards reaching World Health Organization guidelines as soon as possible. 1/ www.london.gov.uk/london-meets...

📢Our Amplifying Voices strand partners with the communities who are most affected by air pollution to advocate for change. ♥️As part of that strand, we're proud to support the Ella Roberta Foundation's work to protect children from air pollution. youtu.be/5xDn-UZQN-U

Amplifying Voices: Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, The Ella Roberta Foundation

At Impact on Urban Health, we believe the people whose health is most affected by air pollution should be at the heart of the solutions to improve it. Our Amplifying Voices strand supports the…

youtu.be

From air pollution, to food poverty and extreme heat: I wrote about how the climate crisis is affecting health in towns and cities: urbanhealth.org.uk/insights/opi...

Our changing climate is an urban health emergency

The climate crisis is making urban areas increasingly dangerous places to live, with marginalised communities in cities the most affected.

urbanhealth.org.uk

"In Delhi, the researchers found particles from industrial pollution, including chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics, laminates and adhesives, and in recycling electronic waste. Particle pollution from traffic was greatest in Delhi." www.theguardian.com/environment/...

How farm fires intensify Delhi’s post-monsoon smog problem

Extreme air pollution from farming fires meets high population density, causing substantial harm to health

theguardian.com

🚨Major new report on #CleanAirDay. 📉Air pollution costs the UK more than £500m a week, with 99% of the population breathing toxic air, according to @rcphysicians.bsky.social. 💀It also kills more than 500 people a week, and harms almost every organ in the body. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

UK air pollution killing more than 500 people a week, doctors say

Royal College of Physicians also says poor air quality costs country more than £500m a week

theguardian.com

"The effects of moving to an area with worse air pollution are not confined to mental health. "A 10-year study in southern California also showed that lung growth improved for children that moved to areas with less particle pollution." www.theguardian.com/environment/...

How does air pollution affect mental health? New study aimed to find out

Research looked at records of 14,800 people in Bradford to see what happened after they moved to more polluted area

theguardian.com

What does the Government's spending review mean for health in urban areas?👇

Impact on Urban Health@impurbanhealth.bsky.social · last yr.

🍎 We welcome the Government’s #SpendingReview decision to expand #FreeSchoolMeals to children in families receiving Universal Credit. 🏙️ But more investment is needed to address health inequalities, especially in urban areas. Read our response 👇 urbanhealth.org.uk/insights/pol...

Improve air quality: Access to healthy food is vital for a healthy society. So is clean air. The Govt can protect children from toxic air pollution. Bold national action, like a new Clean Air Act, would be an investment in better public health: urbanhealth.org.uk/insights/opi...

🚨Fantastic news! The Govt is expanding free school meals to families on Universal Credit, a vital investment in children's long-term health. But there are more ways the Govt can now build on these foundations for a healthier society 🧵👇 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Bus fares to jobs: Seven ways the Spending Review affects you

Spending limits for government departments are being outlined by the chancellor. This is how it affects you.

bbc.co.uk

🚧 Construction sites contribute significantly to air pollution. Discover how we're using data to target interventions and improve urban health. 🔗 Read more: urbanhealth.org.uk/insights/dat...

Using data to reduce air pollution from construction sites

The Air Pollution Risk Index tool identified areas where improving air quality could have the biggest benefit on people’s health.

urbanhealth.org.uk

Very interesting article on how policymakers view social media through the lens of cycling policy. The key insight for cycling advocates is how many undermine the agenda through being too negative: a constructive approach is much better, plus email (1/2) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Does social media influence local elected leaders? A study of online engagement methods through the lens of cycling policymaking in the United Kingdom

Social media can be sold as a way to improve grassroots citizen engagement, yet the ways in which it affects decisions made by local elected leaders are less well understood. This study examines th...

tandfonline.com

In an open letter to Keir Starmer, campaigners at Enact Equality have called on ministers to "take decisive and immediate action to confront one of the most urgent, yet persistently under-reported justice issues" across the UK... Air pollution 🧵 www.mylondon.news/news/uk-worl...

Air pollution disproportionately harming marginalised groups, government told

An open letter from activists urged the government to "take decisive and immediate action to confront one of the most urgent, yet persistently under-reported justice issues" across the UK

mylondon.news

Our wonderful data team have developed a dashboard that highlights the wards in Lambeth & Southwark where 🫁People are most at risk of exposure to air pollution due to existing health conditions and social determinants 🏭There are highest existing levels of air pollution Do check out the dashboard!

Impact on Urban Health@impurbanhealth.bsky.social · last yr.

🧠 We’re using data to drive impact: Our new Air Pollution Risk Index highlights neighbourhoods where improving air quality could deliver the greatest health benefits. 🔗 Discover how it works: urbanhealth.org.uk/insights/dat...

EU Member States have highlighted their commitment to protecting children’s health by adopting new binding #AirPollution targets. When will our Labour government afford the same #Health protections to our children @emmahardymp.bsky.social?

Kudos to @hfcouncil.bsky.social 👏 for prioritising people's health and the environment: "The council noted that private wood-burners have contributed to the most severe smog episodes recorded in London during recent winters." www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...

London council plans garden bonfire ban to tackle harmful air pollution

The plan by Hammersmith and Fulham Council involves creating a new by-law to prevent residents from burning household or garden waste

standard.co.uk

🔥The Government’s backward step on wood-burning stoves puts public health and climate action at risk. The Govt is ignoring guidance from @thecccuk.bsky.social, Defra, and the Chief Medical Officer. urbanhealth.org.uk/insights/new...

The Government’s backward step on wood-burning stoves puts public health and climate action at risk

The Government's decision to permit wood-burning stoves in new builds contradicts growing evidence about the harmful effects these stoves have on public health and the environment.

urbanhealth.org.uk

Results on LEZ and ULEZ from Uni of Bath: ✅Improvements in general health 🫁Decrease in respiratory issues 🤒People 18.5% less likely to take sick leave 😃People report feeling happier 😳People feel less anxious airqualitynews.com/local-govern...

Reduced sick leave among the benefits of London’s ULEZ

A team from the University of Bath has found that the progressive improvements to London’s air quality by the introduction of increasingly stringent restrictions on vehicles, has led to a notable drop...

airqualitynews.com

🧵The meat industry manufactured backlash against one of the most important food and climate reports ever published. Using social media, tactics included... 🚫Content pollution and disinformation 📢Online abuse ✂️Polarising audiences. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

PR campaign may have fuelled food study backlash, leaked document shows

Eat-Lancet report recommended shift to more plant-based, climate-friendly diet but was extensively attacked online

theguardian.com

SUVs... 🤕Are more likely to kill or injure people 🛣️Cause more wear and tear on roads 🚦Disproportionately add to congestion ❤️‍🩹Pollute the air for us all. So should SUV drivers pay more road tax? Have your say: www.thetimes.com/business-mon...

Should drivers of bigger cars pay more road tax?

Charges depend on emissions and vehicle value, but what about those heavy SUVs? When it comes to road duty, should size matter? We hear opposing views

thetimes.com

Thanks for engaging. Woodburning has huge PM output; I'd ban the practice in urban areas if I could. I funded this project to determine the size polluting on-demand food & its potential to grow. At 20 ktonnes annually, it's not insignificant. Comparable to taxis and construction NRMM (LEAI) (1/2)

Delighted to see work by our partners, @wearepossible.bsky.social, referenced in this article. An unprecedented fall in vehicle miles is required by 2030 to meet climate goals. That means food delivery workers must be protected to feel safe at work and on roads.

How has Deliveroo turned a profit? By slashing the pay and dismantling the rights of riders like me | Shaf Hussain

Our work is dangerous and the pay only gets worse, while the CEO has just sold £15m in shares – we deserve better, says Deliveroo rider Shaf Hussain

theguardian.com

People in London are breathing much cleaner air, thanks to the ULEZ. That means better health, less burden on the NHS, fewer days taken off sick, improved health outcomes for children... www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Dramatic fall in London’s levels of deadly pollutants after Ulez expansion

People in capital breathing much cleaner air, with significant improvements in capital’s most deprived areas

theguardian.com

The transition away from gas cooking envisaged by the UK's Climate Change Committee will mean big improvements to air pollution in many homes. "Removing gas stoves from homes provides positive outcomes for health but also climate..." www.theguardian.com/environment/...

How cooking with gas releases harmful air pollution in the home

Nitrogen dioxide, normally associated with diesel exhausts, is among pollutants released by using gas cooker and hob

theguardian.com

Particles from tyres are the biggest source of nanoplastic pollution in the high Alps. Microplastics have been discovered in human blood, semen and breast milk and in brains, livers and bone marrow, indicating profuse contamination of people’s bodies. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Vehicle tyres found to be biggest source of nanoplastics in the high Alps

Mountaineers now scaling more peaks for first global study of nanoplastics, which can enter lungs and bloodstream

theguardian.com

Enjoyed writing for Greenfleet about how the Govt can support businesses to reduce pollution: 🏡 Last Mile Taskforce 📦 National, open network of pick up and drop off points 🫰 Economic incentives 🏅 Rewards to track and reduce air pollution. issuu.com/psi-media/do...

GreenFleet 157

Driving the Switch to Cleaner Fleets

issuu.com