Government unveils strategy to cut air pollution

A new national strategy aimed at improving air quality by reducing pollution has been published by the Scottish Government.

The plans outline how to improve the air quality in Scotland.

The Cleaner Air for Scotland strategy includes a commitment to meeting European legal air quality limits across Scotland by 2020.

It also pledges to adopt World Health Organisation guidelines on particulate matter pollution and to run a national air quality awareness campaign.

Environment minister Aileen McLeod said the document sets out actions across government portfolios “that will further reduce air pollution, with a particular emphasis on protecting human health and reducing health inequalities”.

Campaigners said while the strategy was a “step in the right direction”, it lacks detail on practical measures and the investment required to implement changes.

Friends of the Earth Scotland campaigner Emilia Hanna said: “Scotland is going to set tougher targets to protect health but doesn’t have a plan which will deliver them any time soon.

“In particular, there are not enough measures in the strategy to get the most polluting traffic off our roads.

“Air pollution has been linked with heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks, and cancer, and causes thousands of early deaths each year in Scotland.”

She welcomed indications that low emission zones (LEZ), developed with local authorities, could be used to create minimum emission standards for cars in certain areas.

Green MSP Alison Johnstone said: “Communities affected by dangerous levels of pollution have been waiting too long for practical action and serious investment.

“Today’s publication, focusing on monitoring and awareness campaigns, while glossing over massive roadbuilding budgets, is like Groundhog Day.”

Ms McLeod said: “Through Cleaner Air for Scotland we will adopt the World Health Organisation guideline values for particulate matter in Scottish legislation - making us the first country in Europe to do so.

“I want us to demonstrate our level of ambition but at the same time learn from good practice elsewhere.

“We must also highlight the opportunities to generate efficiencies and cost savings by linking air quality to other areas, such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, transport and planning.

“Cleaner Air for Scotland aims to provide a framework within which this can be achieved and is particularly important in the build-up to the forthcoming climate change negotiations in Paris next month.”