Things Can Only Get Better
Wouldn’t it be great if things could only get better. But they won’t if we carry on with ‘Business as usual’.
Our headline image is taken from a recent peer-reviewed publication relating air quality (AQ) to public health outcomes1. The left image represents 2019 estimates of PM2.5 across the United Kingdom. Particulate matter 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM2.5) are invisible airborne particles or droplets so small that they can be inhaled and cause serious health problems2.
From our own AQ monitoring, and confirmed by the General Hospital’s and Council’s monitored measurements in Northampton3, home heating and road traffic are by far and away the greatest contributors to particulate pollution across our region. PM pollution levels peak during the hours of winter heating and rush-hour traffic.
The central image above represents an estimate of the 2030 increase in PM2.5 levels over those in 2019 if a ‘Business As Usual’ public policy is followed. It illustrates worsened pollution – meaning increased costs to our health services of AQ-related illnesses, and a higher number of premature deaths.
The right-hand image is a 2040 projection of PM2.5 levels contrasting ‘Business As Usual’ with a Balanced Net Zero Pathway (BNZP), described in the paper as a ‘middle ambition’ pathway for the UK to comply with its legally binding 2050 Net Zero commitments.
West Northamptonshire Council is responsible for our public health services. To secure avoidable health costs, and deliver on its Net Zero obligations, it needs to act urgently. The steps the Council needs to take will be the subject of further CA-WN Exchange posts – we shall be reviewing the manifestos of the Parties hoping for election next May to assess if indeed they take account of the steps that CA-WN sees as necessary to lessen the financial burden of AQ-related ill health.
References (with links valid 10 Jan 2025)
1 Climate change policies reduce air pollution and increase physical activity: Benefits, costs, inequalities, and indoor exposures
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024007505
2 Ambient (outdoor) air pollution: Key facts
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health
3 Airly Air Quality Sensor map
https://airly.org/map/en/