Feryal Clark MP calls for Clean Air Day to be a turning point in the fight against air pollution.

Today is Clean Air Day, which brings together communities, businesses, schools and the health sector to improve public understanding of air pollution and build awareness of how air pollution affects our health. 
 
1 in 5 people in the UK live with a respiratory condition, such as asthma, worsened by air pollution and increasing vulnerability to Covid-19, and air pollution is responsible for 40,000 excess deaths each year.   
 
I know that air pollution is an issue which matters deeply to many people in Enfield North, with hundreds of residents signing the petition I presented to Parliament earlier this year on the health impact of the Highways England’s Junction 25 (M25) improvement scheme.  
 
I also want to praise the work of groups such as the Enfield Climate Action Forum who do brilliant work to put environmental issues on the agenda all year round. 
 

The reductions in road traffic that the pandemic brought about meant that people across the UK were able to breathe cleaner air and to walk and cycle on quieter, safer streets. But we cannot allow this to be a flash in the pan. This is a real opportunity for us to make a lasting change on air quality.  
 
The momentum we have got must be maintained, and Government need to ensure local authorities have all the tools necessary to drive effective change in our communities.  
 
Whether it’s campaigning on the introduction of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) to take traffic away from residential areas, or School Streets, to help make children safer and encourage walking or cycling to school, I will always do everything I can to fight for cleaner air.