New £1.5m investment will fund 195 air quality sensors in London

Mayor of London and Bloomberg Philanthropies have announced a new £1.5m joint investment in air quality monitoring across the capital.

The combined investment, which includes £779,000 from Sadiq Khan and £720,000 from Bloomberg Philanthropies, will fund the day-to-day running of 195 air quality sensors across London, as well as further research and community engagement.

From today, data from the sensors, which have been installed at hospitals, schools and local authorities, will produce real-time air quality data that Londoners can access via the new Breathe London website.

The website will bring together the data from London’s existing monitoring network alongside the Breathe London sensors, meaning once all of the sensors are in operation it will host data from over 300 monitoring sites.

Following on from this, the Mayor has also announced a new sponsorship programme in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and Imperial College London, which will provide an additional 60 sensors available to London communities over the next three years.

Organisations and individuals will be able to apply to host a sensor in a location of their choice from the summer, with all associated costs covered. The first 10 sensors will be released in the autumn.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: ‘I am delighted that Londoners will now have access to real-time, accurate air quality data for their area from more than 300 monitoring sites. This will improve awareness and help people reduce their exposure to polluted air.

‘The new website we are launching today will also help City Hall, TfL and the boroughs better target efforts on improving air quality at a local level. Thanks to support from Bloomberg Philanthropies we will be helping community organisations to monitor air pollution by enabling them to host sensors in a location of their choosing at no cost to them.

\As we look towards a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, it is vital that we create a city that is cleaner and greener. Never has tackling London’s toxic air been more important, which is why I am taking these bold and innovative steps to improve it. But I can’t do this alone. Now, we need Government to step up and match my ambitions. If they give cities the powers and funding needed, we will be able to make air pollution a thing of the past.’

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