News / Bristol
‘Air pollution will claim more than 700 lives in Bristol by 2021’
Toxic fumes spewed out by vehicles are expected to claim the lives of more than 700 people in Bristol before 2021, according to a report by Green MEPs.
Parliamentary candidate for Bristol West Molly Scott Cato slammed the Government’s “feeble” air quality plan as she stood with colleagues in one of the city’s most congested spots to protest against what she called “a scandalous and deadly indifference to the issue.”
Keith Taylor, MEP for the South East, launched the report alongside Scott Cato and Clifton ward councillor Jerome Thomas in the Bearpit on Friday. They were flanked by supporters and members wearing the masks that are fast becoming a Green party trademark, meant to highlight the harm caused by air pollution.
is needed now More than ever
“Keith’s report details a scandalous attack on public health which has gone ignored for too long,” said Scott Cato.
“In some wards here in Bristol, up to 10 per cent of deaths can be attributed to air pollution. Lives – young and vulnerable lives – are being blighted on a daily basis by the air pollution in our towns and cities.
“Our national Government has a clear role to play, we need them to step up and support real action.
“In a city where air pollution is so damaging to health and some of the people most affected by the pollution are the ones doing least to create the problem, we need a Government who will take appropriate measures to tackle the causes and bring forward solutions to reduce those causes.
“As an MP, I would champion the rights of all citizens here to breathe clean air and lead lives no longer blighted by this unseen problem.”
The report analyses the impact the Government’s air quality plan will have on the country, focusing on Brighton and Hove, Bristol, London and Oxford.
It identifies areas in Bristol where air pollution is worst, namely, central, Lawrence Hill, and Ashley, and found the problem continues to rise in many areas across the city, including at the Bristol Royal Infirmary Children’s Department.
Green party members (L-R) Jerome Thomas, Clive Stevens, Molly Scott Cato, Tony Dyer, Carla Denyer in one of the most congested spots in Bristol
Taylor said: “We take the air we breathe for granted, it’s just there, we don’t usually give it a second thought. But, as is becoming increasingly clear, we have to. There is in an air quality crisis choking our towns and cities. Air pollution is often invisible and usually silent, but it is a pervasive killer.
“Across the country, avoidably filthy air is linked to the unnecessary deaths of 40,000 people every year according to a comprehensive study by the Royal College of Physicians. It is a genuine public health emergency.
“We urgently need bold action and this report sets out what we can and should be doing now.”
As well at detailing the flaws in the Government’s proposals, the report calls for the nationwide adoption of the Green Party’s air quality manifesto pledges, including the introduction of a new Clean Air Act, expansion of the mandatory clean air zone network and the roll-out of a diesel scrappage scheme.
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