UK Not Expected to Meet Air Quality Targets

The UK government does not expect certain areas of the country to meet with EU air quality targets until after 2030. Nitrogen dioxide levels are not expected to be brought down enough to meet with set limits throughout London, Birmingham and Leeds. 

This is according to data presented to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in a case brought against the UK government by ClientEarth.The findings show that nitrogen dioxide levels will meet targets around 20 years after the original deadline set by the EU, which is also five years later than the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) previously suggested.

According to ClientEarth, the admission that the UK will fail to meet targets in the three areas was first announced in legally privileged correspondence over another legal case brought against the government earlier this year. This information was only made public on July 9th by Defra.

A Defra spokesperson said: “As our understanding of NO2 evolves this must be reflected in our projections which is why we have revised these. It is well recognised air quality can affect people’s health which is why we are investing heavily in measures to improve it and have committed billions to increase uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, sustainable travel and green transport initiatives, all of which will help improve air quality.”

The measures that Defra has invested in include the local authority Air Quality Grant Scheme, a £2 billion investment in reducing transport emissions since 2011 and the Department for Transport's Clean Vehicle Technology Fund. The department also spent around £400 million between 2010 and 2015 supporting ultra-low emissions vehicles, as well as £500 million to continue to support this market up until 2020.

Other areas of the UK - including Sheffield, Bristol, Liverpool, Nottingham and Tyneside - are not expected to reach nitrogen dioxide targets until around 2025.