Air quality better at airport – for how long?

THE reduction of Heathrow’s operations has enabled our local air quality to improve to safe levels. Monitors which capture data on harmful pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide have shown substantial improvements in local air quality around Heathrow since lockdown began. The monitor based at Heathrow Airport itself has seen a 50% reduction in air pollution according to data captured by Air Quality England.

We must ensure that as we come out of lockdown and operations increase at the airport and road traffic picks up again, that the safe pollution levels remain.

A major step to achieving that would be for Heathrow to scrap its expansion plans and focus on maintaining this improvement in local air quality once operations increase at and around the airport.

Further, the Government’s Environment Bill should provide greater powers for holding large polluters, such as Heathrow, to account, where there is evidence that a breach or severe detriment in local air quality is due to the operations of the organisation. The Bill must include a legally binding commitment to meet WHO guideline limits for NO2 and other harmful pollutants, with a commitment to nonregression.

The Bill presents a unique opportunity for the UK to become a world leader in limiting toxic pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, in the pursuit of cleaner air and to protect the health of local people not just around Heathrow, but around other airports across the UK. Geraldine Nicholson

Stop Heathrow Expansion West Drayton