Clear the air in Scotland
Gareth Brown, Scottish Policy and Public Affairs Officer for Asthma UK, writes about our campaigning at COP26 Green Zone as we united with British Lung Foundation and Impact on Urban Health to say - ‘Clear the Air’.
The Biggest Environmental Risk to Our Health
Air pollution is the single biggest environmental risk to our health. That is the message we sent to delegates and visitors in Glasgow over the course of two weeks of COP26 as we campaigned in the Green Zone to ‘Clear the Air’.
As governments at all levels seek to reduce car usage and encourage people to be more active or use public transport, we’re seeking to remind them that climate change and air pollution are linked. Many of the pollutants that are harmful to breathe also play a role in climate change and other threats to the planet.
We spoke with people from across Scotland, the UK and around the world, who agreed that limiting climate change and tackling air pollution together must be a priority. Yet, most were unsure about what would come from the world leaders to tackle air pollution.
Attending COP26 allowed us to speak to politicians from across the UK and we want to thank all the MPs, MSPs, MSs and MLAs from all for parliaments for visiting our stall and listening to our campaign calls. We hope you continue to work with us on fighting air pollution.
Clear The Air
At COP26, we displayed our ‘Respira-TREE’ – an art installation that drew the attention of so many people who passed through our zone. One of the features of the tree were a number of discoloured orbs that represented the two in five babies born across the UK into areas of high air pollution.
Our research found that every two minutes in the UK a baby is born in an area with dangerously polluted air which could put them at risk of developing serious health conditions, such as asthma. These stats are based on the 2005 World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, however if we were to apply the new 2021 WHO guidelines, Scotland and the UK would fare even worse. For example, using the 2021 guidelines, over 80% of babies in Scotland would be born in local authorities exceeding guidelines for PM2.5, fine particulates that are so small they get stuck in the lungs when breathed in and cause damage.
As well as our stall in the Green Zone, we held an event in Glasgow featuring clean air campaigners, politicians, academics and Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation CEO, Sarah Woolnough. A great discussion was had on the changes required to tackle air pollution and we also heard about some of the work already taking place in Scotland, as well as in cities across the UK to reduce the harmful impact of air pollution.
There is much to do to raise awareness of the health impacts of air pollution on our lungs. COP26 was only one of the many platforms at our disposal to raise the profile. As the Policy and Public Affairs Officer for Asthma UK in Scotland, I am often in discussion with MSPs, the Scottish Government and its civil servants to bring about change for better lung health.
We will continue to shape the implementation of the Cleaner Air Scotland strategy and push for new legislation to reduce air pollution levels to the new World Health Organization limits. Our presence at COP26 and our continued work in the Scottish Parliament means that most MSPs understand the importance of tackling air pollution to improve health, but we need to show them how it impacts on people living in their local community.
Share Your Clean Air Story
To play your part in calling for cleaner air, why not speak out about how air pollution is affecting your life today and help us demand politicians #ClearTheAir we breathe.
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