Hello,
Geraint Davies, MP and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution, has been in touch and asked us to share this template letter for contacting MPs about supporting the amendments to the Environment Bill on enforceable air quality targets.
Here’s what he says:
“The letter, to help put enforceable air quality targets into law, is supported by the air quality advisor to the Royal College of Physicians Professor Stephen Holgate to help to improve our children’s physical and mental health. This is particularly poignant during the inquest into Ella Kissi-Debrah, who suffered a severe asthma attack and died following exposure to illegal levels of pollution."
“The Environment Bill, due for completion in Parliament in a few weeks, is our opportunity to help safeguard future generations of children from toxic air so I urge mums to write to their MPs immediately.”
You can find more information about the Bill here and about the inquest into Ella Kissi-Debrah’s death here.
The template letter is below - we hope this is helpful.
Thanks
MNHQ
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Dear [Insert MP name],
I am writing to you as my MP to ask you to vote for changes in the current law to ensure enforceable air quality limits to protect the health of our local children and adults from January 2021.
Air pollution causes 40,000 early deaths at a cost of £20 billion each year according to the Royal College of Physicians. Most recently, the University of Manchester finds concerning impacts of air pollution on children's working memories.
Meanwhile, people spend over ninety per cent of their time indoors, and more now due to Covid-19 restrictions, so are also exposed to harmful air-borne chemicals from furniture, cleaning agents etc. The Royal College's report on this makes a powerful case for indoor air quality to be included in the Environment Bill.
Therefore, I am writing to you to ask you to support amendments to the Environment Bill by the All Party-Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution to provide:
- Immediate legally-binding air quality limits in the Bill, and inclusion of the World Health Organisation annual average for PM2.5 (the smaller particulate) of 10 µg/m3 by 2030, with an interim target of 12 µg/m3 per year by 2025;
- A requirement that the Government reports each year on how it is improving indoor air quality.
Having left the EU, the UK will be responsible for setting and enforcing its own targets from 2021. Therefore, I am concerned about the Government’s current plan to delay setting targets until 2022, that won’t be legally enforceable and can be changed.
As my MP, please advise me on how you will vote on these two issues which are crucial to the future physical and mental health of our local children and residents.
Best wishes