This wonderful bill would create the human right to breathe clean air 

Bill Facts

Currently in its first reading at the House of Commons (10/02/2024)

• 2016 was the 60th anniversary of the Clean air Act since creation in 1952 
• 2023 The Bill will create clean air as a human right.

Breakdown of Current Situation

 - Looking at avoidable deaths of people dying prematurely of dirty air due to underlying health conditions caused by the air with the enactment for this creation of clean air as a human right as aligned with the UN. 

- 90% of our time is indoors, 900 dangerous chemicals are found indoors these range from building materials to chemicals, mould, damp, candles that effect people’s health, therefore making clean air a human right is imperative at this time to override the ignorance of toxic chemicals.

 - Growth of wood burning, which is six times worse for generating particulates, (Government should be very pro-active in restricting the use and sale of wood burners). 

- Need to achieve ten micrograms of PM 2.5 by 2030 not later than this to stop 1,000’s of unnecessary deaths in Britain.

 - WHO guidelines are 5 micrograms

 - Report by Chief Scientific Officer, Sir Patrick Vallance into indoor air, has found that better ventilation, better filtration, better indoor air quality. 

- Chief Medical Officer Christ Whitty, has also done a report, emphasising better ventilation, better filtration, better indoor air quality and recommended to improve this at work, home and transport infrastructure as well as his focus on wood burners.

 - Air pollution and net zero are generated by one thing - the burning of fossil fuels.

 - So pollution and reducing air pollution should be seen as a driver for delivering net zero, rather than a helpful by product. 

- We can have new innovation where, for example, we might generate hydrogen from off peak renewables and feed that for instance, into the gas grid, so when you boil something on the gas cooker, there’s both less a carbon footprint, but also the toxicity of what you’re breathing is much less in particular if you don’t ventilate.

 - We need proper enforcement under the EU. Client Earth was able to take the government to court and get fines implemented. - The government’s first duty should be to protect its citizens. 

- Citizens have the right to clean air and health [write timeline of when it will come in to law What exactly does the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill mean?

Bill Analysis

 Air Quality News  

The Human Right to breath clean air is defined as- “air free from certain pollutants or concentration of pollutants above certain levels” The bill requires the Secretary of State to achieve and maintain clean air across England and Wales, within 5 years of the Act coming into force. The bill would also establish a new body known as the Citizens Commission for Clean Air “(CCCA)”, which would monitor and enforce the right to breath clean air in England and Wales. This would include the power to issue enforcement notices for non-compliance, along with issuing and participating in legal proceedings, such as judicial review. The CCCA would also be tasked with annually reviewing pollutants against limits included in schedules 1-3 of the Bill. In conducting its review, the CCCA would be expected to consider the best scientific knowledge and guidance available. The bill has passed committee stage in the House of Lords and is on route to becoming a legally binding act. It is named after Ella-Kissi-Debrah, a nine year old girl who died from asthma in 2013 after being exposed to illegal levels of air pollution near her home in London. Further Points to notes (ref Air Quality News) The World Health Organisation “(WHO)”

 - The WHO limits and guidelines tend to be more stringent than current UK regulations dictate. The CCCA must also apply the precautionary principle in its review. The combined effect of these considerations is likely to result in further tightening of pollution limits, where evidence points to more stringent measures being required to ensure people can breathe clean air! The Committee on Climate Change also has a role to play: it is tasked with an annual review of pollutants and the limits listed in Schedule 4 to the Bill, again with specific factors that need to be taken into account.

 **An amendment to the bill at committee stage also saw the inclusion of new limit values for PM2.5, the fine particulate matter (10?g/m3) and nitrogen dioxide (20?g/m3), both by 1 January 2030, reflecting the latest proposals at EU level. Although comparing the PM2.5 target to the WHO equivalent, this is still TWICE the WHO limit of 5?g/m3! The government should ensure to set a good standard for the world at large so that all other countries would follow suit, bringing in principles of best practice for a problem that concerns the entire earth.

Keep up to date with this bill by clicking the link below to the bill on the parliament website.