Today the Government launched its Clean Air Strategy (2019) which follows an industry consultation last summer. EIC's executive director Matthew Farrow commented:

"Whatever course Brexit takes in the next few years, thousands of people will still be dying from air pollution.  It is welcome to see the Government recognising that we must do better, and starting to set targets to cut particulate levels to WHO limits, something EIC has been arguing for since 2015. It is crucial that the Environment Bill sets legally-binding targets to bring pollution down to safe levels and that the proposed Office of Environmental Protection has the powers to hold future governments to account on this agenda.

"The breadth of the Strategy is also welcome, with proposals covering air pollution from agriculture, shipping, construction machinery and household  products.  In many areas though detail remains light and EIC wants to work with Minsters to develop the detail rapidly.

"It's also worth noting that the ambition the government is indicating, if followed through into hard policy, can help make the UK a leading centre of air pollution control technology, with huge export potential in a post-Brexit economy."