Air pollution
Asthma inquest told: no link between girl’s hospital admissions and higher pollution
December 8, 2020Scientist says no evidence to support theory Ella Kissi-Debrah’s condition worsened when air pollution rose Ella Kissi-Debrah’s mother, Rosamund, holds her mobile phone showing a photo of her daughter, who died in February 2013 from a severe asthma attack. Photograph: Hollie Adams/AFP/Getty Images A leading scientist has told an inquest there is no evidence that […]
Read More
So you want to set up a low-traffic neighbourhood? Here’s where to start
November 20, 2020How do I get started? For all the attention low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) are getting, they are very simple things. Strategic “point closures” allow vehicle access to all addresses in a neighbourhood, but reduce through traffic. They can be done with planters, or lockable bollards, or a combination of both. In London, impressive maps of potential […]
Read More
Low-traffic schemes benefit everyone, not just better-off, finds study
November 16, 2020There is no evidence schemes that try to limit “rat-running” traffic along residential streets disproportionately benefit better-off households, research has concluded, contradicting a common view cited by objectors. A study of low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), which have mushroomed as part of efforts to boost walking and cycling amid coronavirus, found that the vast majority of people […]
Read More
‘I got it wrong. Since the changes it’s become more vibrant’: life in an LTN
November 16, 2020Acorn Road, Newcastle upon Tyne When Newcastle city council planned to reduce motorist access to Acorn Road in the leafy suburb of Jesmond back in 2014, hardware store owner Steve Robson helped to raise a petition against the £350,000 scheme, organised meetings to oppose the plans and told a local newspaper that the proposed changes […]
Read More
India and Pakistan dominate WHO’s air pollution database
November 5, 2020The region contains 16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities. Historical data sheds light on why An anti-smog device is used on a roadside in Delhi, India. Photograph: EPA At this time of year, agricultural burning adds to the air pollution problems across northern India and Pakistan. The region contains 16 of the 20 […]
Read More
Covid-19 lockdowns have improved global air quality, data shows
October 8, 2020Around the world, Covid lockdowns have led to improvements in air pollution. In northern India, the Himalayas were visible in the distance for the first time in a generation. And during the first nine weeks of the UK lockdown, nitrogen dioxide along London’s roads decreased by an average of 31% compared with the pre-lockdown period. […]
Read More
Residents demand new clean air rules for former gasworks sites in England
September 22, 2020Residents living near four gasworks redevelopment sites in London and Brighton have joined forces to demand an overhaul of regulations on the treatment of contaminated land. The move follows a Guardian report on residents’ claims that toxic substances from a site in west London were damaging their health. Calling itself Gasworks Communities United (GCU), the […]
Read More
Londoners claim toxic air from gasworks damaging their health
August 27, 2020Residents in Southall are calling on the government to urgently investigate the health impact of the redevelopment of an old gasworks in light of research suggesting the mainly south Asian community is highly susceptible to air pollution. For a year the Guardian has followed the Clean Air for Southall and Hayes (Cash) campaign as they […]
Read More