Atmosphere: Towards a proper strategy for tackling Greater Manchester’s air pollution crisis

Article

The levels of air pollution in Greater Manchester are lethal and illegal.

In groundbreaking new analysis, King’s College London (KCL) has estimated that 1.6 million life years will be lost in Greater Manchester in the coming century due to its poisonous air. This is equivalent to each of us having our life expectancy reduced by six months. Using the 2011 baseline, NO2 pollution alone was estimated to have caused up to 1,781 premature deaths in Greater Manchester and particulate matter pollution up to 1,906 premature deaths.

Devolution allows the Greater Manchester mayor to take responsibility for this clean air agenda and do more, much more quickly, but national government must act urgently too to give the mayor the tools necessary to save lives and the £1 billion annual cost to the Greater Manchester economy.

Related items

  1. A photo of a field of solar panels with a line of trees and a sunset sky behind it

    The Europe agenda: Energy and climate

    A redefined relationship with Europe is the most direct path to the UK's climate and energy goals.
  2. Sad young woman sitting on the window

    The loneliest generation: What it is like to grow up in England today

    Connection should be the fabric that binds society together. But today’s young people have never felt more disconnected. 
  3. Man Writing Code on Desktop Computer With Multiple Monitors Set Up and a Laptop in Creative Office

    Bottleneck Britain: How digital competition could power UK growth and sovereignty

    Artificial intelligence could be the UK’s biggest economic opportunity in a generation, but only if its gains are spread across the economy rather than pooled within a handful of companies.