The Government has today launched its Environmental Improvement Plan, setting out goals and commitments to improving the natural environment and outlining measures to improve air quality and the public’s awareness of it.
The Plan sets out five overall goals which focus on: Restored nature, Environmental quality, Circular economy, Environmental security and Access to nature.
While pointing out the improvements in our air quality over the years, the Plan acknowledges that air pollution remains a significant problem, saying ‘We can and should go further to reduce air pollution’.
The Plan has targetted the following reductions in pollutant levels, to be achieved by 2030 against a 2005 baseline.
- Ammonia (NH3) 16% reduction
- Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) 73% reduction
- Sulphur dioxide (SO2) 88% reduction
- Particulate Matter (PM2.5) 46% reduction
- Non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) 39% reduction
On top of this, there is a commitment to bring us back in line with the EU, by setting an annual mean concentration target of 10 µg/m³ by December 2030 and a population exposure reduction target of 30% compared to 2018 by the same time.
An wide range of actions have be announced to help achieve the above targets, among which is a promise to consult on new measures to reduce emissions from domestic combustion, whilst ‘minimising the impact on those that need to burn and respecting traditional celebratory festivals such as Bonfire Night and Diwali’.
The Plan also reveals a series of initiatives aimed at increasing public engagement with air quality, under which updates to the health advice accompanying the Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI) will be published by March 2026, by which time a revamped air quality alert system should also have been launched, giving earlier warnings to those most at risk from pollution spikes.
By March the following year, the public will gain access to new resources showcasing long-term trends in local pollution levels through updated government air quality web services. These datasets will complement daily reporting and give communities deeper insight into how air pollution evolves over time.
Additionally, by January 2029, DHSC, UKHSA, and Defra will collaborate with the Royal College of Physicians and other medical organisations to ensure healthcare professionals are equipped with up-to-date knowledge on the health impacts of air pollution.
One of the first organisations to respond this morning was Global Action Plan, whose Director of Policy & Campaigns, Larissa Lockwood, said: ‘Cleaner air is essential for growth, public health, social justice, and the future of our planet. It’s encouraging to see this Government finally acknowledge the overwhelming health expert consensus that bold and fast action is needed to tackle air pollution, and we welcome the decision to align the UK’s air pollution targets with the EU, getting us one step closer to World Health Organisation guidelines.
‘One of the key ways to reach these more ambitious targets for everyone’s health and the environment is through phasing out the use of open fires/wood burning stoves in our towns and cities, where the vast majority of people have another way to heat their home and the health impacts of the air pollution are felt by many.
‘Air pollution from wood burning stoves is cutting lives short, putting people in hospital, and contributing to serious health conditions for people across the UK. We estimate that air pollution from burning in UK homes is contributing to nearly 2,500 deaths each year, as well as almost always costing households more money than central heating.
‘Phasing out non-essential burning in UK homes could save the NHS over £54 million annually. Finally, we see steps towards clean air from this government as set out in the Environment Improvement Plan and look forward to working with them to achieve the targets and continue to take more ambitious action, as there is no safe level of air pollution.’
Ben Pearce, Head of the Health Effects of Air Pollution at Impact on Urban Health added: ‘Every year in the UK, air pollution contributes to up to 43,000 premature deaths and costs the economy £29 billion. That’s because everyday millions of us breathe air pollution that surpasses WHO’s guidelines. While it affects us all, the burden falls heaviest on children, older people, people from racialised communities, and those living in lower-income areas.
‘That’s why it’s right that the Government is setting more ambitious air quality targets. But ambition alone isn’t enough; the real test is delivery. Government must now match this ambition with sustained investment in local authorities, and by acting on major sources of pollution, including through its consultation on wood burning.’
The full Environmental Improvement Plan can be read here.
Photo: Dominika Gregušová
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