FoES Parliamentary Briefing on Air Pollution

Friends of the Earth Scotland briefing on Air Pollution ahead of Parliamentary debate, 12 March 2014. Air pollution remains Scotland’s greatest environmental health threat, and EU and Scottish legal standards on air quality are failing to be upheld. Friends of the Earth Scotland calls on the Scottish Government to:

Make sure the planned Low Emissions Strategy

Quantifies the measures needed to deliver clean air, putting walking, cycling,public transport and ultra-low-emissions zones at its heart;Commits to a deadline by when Scottish air quality standards will be met; Ensures join up with national transport planning. 

Include the following new features in the revised Local Air Quality Management system

A legal requirement that local authorities act in the way best calculated to contribute to delivery of Scottish standards on air quality (akin to the public body obligation in Part 4 of the Scottish Climate Act);Better guidance for local authorities on best practice to achieve real reductions in air pollution;A Scottish standard on fine particles (PM2.5) which mirrors WHO guidelines. Ensure better join up between planning and air quality imperatives by strengthening the National Planning Framework and Scottish Planning Policy so they spell out how the planning system will ensure air quality standards are met.