UK government finalises Clean Air Strategy

The UK government’s finalised Clean Air Strategy was published on 14 January 2019, outlining how it plans to tackle all sources of air pollution, making the air healthier to breathe, protecting nature and boosting the economy.

The document builds on an extensive consultation process which ‘indicated broad-based support for many of the actions proposed’, while ‘a range of constructive feedback and challenge’ led the government to ‘improve and extend our ambition even further in certain key areas’.

Chapter 5 of the final strategy focuses specifically on action to reduce emissions from transport, which is seen as ‘a significant source of emissions of air pollution’. The immediate air quality challenge is to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) in the areas where concentrations of these harmful gases currently exceed legal limits. The government has already committed more than £3.5bn to tackle poor air quality through cleaner road transport and is working closely with local authorities and Local Economic Partnerships to make progress.

The government has already published its Road to Zero initiative, which sets out plans to end the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040. Meanwhile, in December 2018 it published a consultation on the strategy for the future of the UK aviation sector, Aviation 2050. The government’s strategy shaping up the future of the maritime sector, Maritime 2050, is to be published soon, informed by a call for evidence held in March 2018.

The final Clean Air Strategy includes new legislation that will enable the Transport Secretary to compel manufacturers to recall vehicles and non-road mobile machinery for any failures in their emissions control system, and to take effective action against tampering with vehicle emissions control systems. It is planned to work with international partners to research and develop new standards for tyres and brakes and to address toxic non-exhaust particulate emissions from vehicles which include micro-plastics and which can pollute air and water.

It is also planned to reduce emissions from rail transport and reduce passenger and worker exposure to air pollution. By spring 2019, the rail industry will be required to produce recommendations and a route map to phase out diesel-only trains by 2040.

Also in spring 2019, the government plans to publish guidelines to advise ports on how to develop effective and targeted air quality strategies that will reduce emissions across the ports and associated waterways, including both emissions from shore activities and visiting ships. Some ports like Southampton and London have already developed a strategy and are making progress. Following publication of the guidelines, ports within scope will be required to produce air quality strategies by the end of 2019.

As noted, the government has also reviewed the policy on aviation-related emissions to improve air quality and has published the consultation on a new aviation strategy.

The Clean Air Strategy complements three other UK government strategies – the Industrial Strategy, the Clean Growth Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan.