Lethal and illegal: London’s air pollution crisis

Article

Air pollution is a huge and growing public health problem for the UK, and for London in particular. Across the UK as many as 40,000 deaths a year are attributed to outdoor air pollution, and it is the second most significant factor impacting on public health in London, after smoking.

Most air pollution in London is caused by road transport, of which diesel vehicles are the most polluting. Efforts must be made to reduce the number of diesel vehicles on the road, both by increasing the proportion of cleaner and greener vehicles and by a continued shift towards alternative forms of transport, including public transport, walking and cycling.

{{ getQuote("id=135") }}

This report presents innovative new modelling that illustrates the scale of both the problem and the policy changes required to remedy it at the European, national and local levels. It also provides detailed analysis of the promise and limitations of current clean air measures, and the decisive steps that must be taken next.

{{ getQuote("id=136") }}

Related items

  1. A close up photograph of a polling station sign on the outside of a building

    Reimagining lawmaking: How to rebuild trust in parliament

    People feel that politics is something that is done to them, not with them. This must change.
  2. Scottish parliament building at Holyrood and Calton Hill, Edinburgh

    Constructive coalitions? What the election means for the seventh session of the Scottish parliament

    What do the results of the 2026 Scottish parliament election tell us about how Scottish politics is changing? What do progressive parties need to do to get back on track?
  3. Door, leaving or back with parent and child in home together for goodbye or start of morning. Entrance, family or holding hands with person and kid in apartment for travel to school or business

    Work isn't working: Family, work and progression on a low income

    Most children in poverty in the UK are in working households, a phenomenon that has emerged since the early 2000s.