Clean Air Day is the UK’s largest air pollution campaign, bringing together communities, businesses, schools, and the health sector to raise awareness of how air quality affects our health and the environment. Every year, air pollution is responsible for 36,000 deaths in the UK and in recent years the air pollution in London has been recorded at ‘illegal’ levels.
Jon Cruddas, the Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham has consistently campaigned to improve air quality across his constituency, which suffers some of the highest rates of air pollution in London. In 2017 Jon ran a large-scale campaign against the expansion of waste incineration operations in Belvedere. A recent report from the Greater London Authority highlighted that Barking and Dagenham has the highest rate of deaths attributed to emissions from waste incineration in London.
The Labour MP said: “Air quality is a growing concern in my constituency, I get calls every week to my office from both Dagenham and Rainham residents regarding either emissions from construction or fumes from burning landfill caused by the ongoing issues at Launder’s Lane.”
The theme for this year’s campaign is: “Air pollution dirties every organ in your body. Take steps to improve your health this Clean Air Day.” The primary actions the campaign will be promoting this year include:
- Talking to someone about the harms of air pollution.
- Walking those short distance trips and leaving the car at home, where you can.
- Asking local and national decision makers for what would make it easier for you to walk more and have clean air in your community.
In 2020 Barking and Dagenham Council launched their Air Quality Action Plan which outlined a bold and innovative scheme of measures to reduce emissions, improve local streets along with parks and open spaces, and retrofit homes to lower the carbon footprint of the built environment.
Jon added: “on Clean Air Day every resident can make a difference, and with the sun shining, walking to the shop for a pint of milk is more inviting than ever. Today is about raising awareness and I’m encouraging local people to take some time to learn more about the impacts air pollution can have on their health.”
More information here: https://www.actionforcleanair.org.uk/