Time to focus on our environmental crisis

So Slough is officially the most polluted town in Britain, even worse than London (Express, May 13).

Just as this bad news was released, an international study revealed that one in six deaths across the world could be attributed to pollution, particularly air pollution.

This suggests that around 250 deaths a year in Slough could be pollutionrelated.

In addition air pollution destroys wildlife and accelerates global warming.

Slough does not suffer from industrial pollution, so transport is presumably the main cause of this sad state of affairs, and there are many areas in Slough where we pedestrians will be only too aware of this.

So what is Slough Borough Council doing to remedy matters?

A new Air Quality Action Plan is promised, but effective action requires, among other changes to our lifestyle, far more urgent action nationally and locally, to end dependence on fossil fuels.

Nationally the Government is planning exactly the reverse of this, with new licences on offer for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea.

Locally our council committed to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2030 and then quietly kicked this target ahead to 2040 without any publicity.

The carbon management officer responsible for overseeing the strategy has now left and not been replaced, so the target has probably receded even further into the distance.

Can we please have more focus by our local politicians on addressing the critical issues facing humanity and less on pulling down and rebuilding the centre of Slough, which of course also produces huge carbon emissions.

Please put what money is left in the kitty to combating the huge environmental crisis that threatens us all.

JOHN WILDING East Berkshire Green Party (Slough

Branch)