UK Air Quality Strategy, Its Role and Effectiveness

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The 21^st century has been marked by rapid development in all sectors of the economy. This has been marked by a period of rapid industrialization and urbanization as a large number of people move into the larger cities for employment to improve their living standards. This has resulted in many pollutants being released into the atmosphere from the increased number of industries and also from car exhaust in the larger towns as a result of urbanization. This has led to air pollution and change in climatic conditions as a result of emission of greenhouse gases (Great Britain: Office of The Prime Minister 2004 p.20). If proper control is not taken our precious environment will be destroyed and future generations will blame our laxity. The air which we breathe is among the most important things in our environment. For quality health and well-being of animals, plants and even humans, clean air is of primary importance. Air pollution can be termed as the act of introducing gaseous matter, particulates or chemicals to the atmosphere at higher levels over a certain threshold. As a result a lot of harm is caused to human beings and other living organisms. This may cause many diseases to humans for example lung diseases (Goss et al. 2004 p.818). Due to these effects, government authorities have enacted various strategies which are meant to control pollution and ensure air quality is maintained. A strategy is an action plan set out that is meant to guide in achievement of a specific goal. In other words, it is a style of thinking to ensures the success of a certain undertaking in the future. This essay critically analyses the use and effectiveness of the UK Air Quality Strategy and the role and effectiveness of the main institutions and frameworks delivering interventions.

The air quality strategy is a requirement from the Environmental Act of 1995 that requires the UK government and the devolved administrations to establish a national strategy for the air quality (McGettigan and O’Donnell 1995 p.34). The strategy was to contain the air standards to be maintained, the objectives to ensure this and also the measures for improvement of air quality. The Act also has provision for continuous process of reviewing the policies to ensure quality air. The main objective is to ensure that all citizens in the UK enjoy accessibility of outdoor air which does not pose any significant health risk to them. It sets standards and which are based on expert recommendations which when emitted into the atmosphere does not produce any heath effect to the citizens (McEvoy, Gibbs and Longhurst 2001 p.10). In setting out the objectives the government and the devolved administrations consider the efficiencies of the economy of the set measures, whether they are applicable in the set context and the technical feasibility in their implementation. The strategy also is intended to finding a way forward for performing air pollution control works and the planning process of all the air quality issues. The other objective of this strategy is to establish a framework that is meant to give provisions for tackling issues concerning fine particles in the atmosphere (Beattie Longhurst and Woodfield 2000 p.730). In addition, this strategy intends to identify new national policy measures which can be agreed upon and which have been shown to have more health benefits to the general population.

The UK air quality strategy has had a greater impact on the control of pollutants from the atmosphere which cause detrimental health effects to human beings and other living things. Regulatory authorities have been established which ensures the set standards are adhered to. These limits are the limits that ensure the welfare of the citizens is catered for. There has been a continuous monitoring of industrial emissions to check the number of gases that they emit (Environmental Protection UK 2010 Para 5). Industry produces significant pollutants to the atmosphere. These gases include nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.

Most of the industrial processes leading to pollution are now subject to integrated pollution control. In addition, others have been made subject to local Area pollution Control (Woodfield 2003 p.56). These controls have led to significant controls in the levels of emissions emitted currently. The transport sector has also been assessed to establish the level of pollution especially in urban centers. This is intending to avoid similar smog as occurred during the 1950s, and in particular the Great London Smog. The strategy has ensured that the UK has no occurrences of high levels of smoke or sulfur dioxide pollution. Despite these significant impacts in the control of pollution a lot is called for to help protect our environment.

For the success of this strategy various institutions have joined hands to see to it that it is fully implemented and adhered to. The UK government together with the devolved administrations covering Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are the major players in the implementation of this strategy (Chatterton 2007 p.24). Their responsibilities involve handling the policy and the legislative issues that affect our environment. The air pollutants have no boundary limits and cross the various jurisdictions. Due to this it was of importance for the establishment of a common document for the whole of the UK. The other player in ensuring full implementation of this strategy is the Local Air Quality Management team. The Local Air quality Management teams continuously perform assessments on the quality of air in their areas of jurisdiction and continue to address emerging problems by the established plans. These measures for example will include application of corrective procedures and enforcement of laws and regulations (Beattie et al. 2004 p.60).

The local air quality management’s main role is to establish the levels of pollution in their areas. This task is achieved through measurement of the concentrations of various pollutants occurring in the atmosphere. Large expenses are involved in these measurements due to the complex machines which are used. As a result, mathematical principles and models have been applied to predict the air quality of other areas (Chatterton 2007 p.25).The process of determining the level of various pollutants is based on the sources of pollution like industries and roads in the area as well as documented measurements of these pollutants. Mathematical models are very important since they also indicate whether the national air quality objectives have been breached or having been followed to the letter during the year. After this assessment the local authority has the legal power to declare an air quality management area. After this declaration, the local authority then develops a plan of action that guides it in performing any task which it has the mandate of performing in fulfillment of national air quality objectives (Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs 2007 p.6). After the local management authorities are the devolved administrations. This body of power has jurisdictions over areas such as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and together with the UK government have the duty of formulation of policies and legislation which affect the natural environment including issues concerning the air quality. The UK government and the devolved administrations have the objective of ensuring that the citizens enjoy quality air in their immediate surroundings to prevent the occurrence of diseases that are related to air pollution. The UK government is the overall overseer that the local authorities and the devolved governments are working towards improvement of air quality. Together with other nations in the European Union community they come up with standards which are to be maintained in each of the states (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2007 p.8). They also participate in the world forums on environmental management and in signing of global treaties on environmental sustainability. The signing of the Kyoto protocol on environmental conservation is an example. Also, more recently were the Copenhagen agreements.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that there is a need for collaborative efforts to be increased towards environmental conservation. Rapid industrialization and urbanization have led to air pollution and change in climatic conditions as a result of emission of greenhouse gases. This pollution poses health risks to the population of the UK, for example development of lung diseases. The main air pollutants include gases like sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, particulates like smoke particles and aerosols. To prevent their harmful effects strategies have been set which aim at establishing the standards which cause no or less harm to the people and animals. To ensure that these strategies are implemented fully there is full participation of local authorizes, devolved authorities and the UK government. Since the implementation of these strategies a lot has been achieved in minimizing air pollution. This is a great step forward and should be encouraged.

Reference

Beattie, C., Longhurst, J.and Woodfield, N. (2000). Air Quality Management: Challenges

and Solutions in Delivering Air Quality Action Plans. Energy and the Environment Volume 11 Issue 6: pp.729-747.

Beattie, C.,Longhurst, J.and Elsom,D.(2004). Evidence of Integration of air Quality Management in The Decision Making Processes and Procedures of English local Government. Local Environment Volume 9 Issue 3: pp.255 – 270.

Chatterton, T., Longhurst, J., Leksmono, N., Hayes, E. and Symons, J. (2007). Ten years of Local Air Quality Management experience in the UK: An analysis of the process. Clean Air and Environmental Quality Volume 41 Issue 4: pp.26-31.

Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. (2007). The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Volume 1).Web.

Environmental Protection UK (2010). Air Quality Strategy. Web.

Goss, Christopher, Newsom , Stacey, Schildcrout, Jonathan, Lianne, Sheppard and Kaufman, Joel (2004). Effect of Ambient Air Pollution on Pulmonary Exacerbations and Lung Function in Cystic Fibrosis. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Volume 169 Issue 7: pp.816–821.

Great Britain: Office of The Prime Minister (2004). Planning and Pollution Control: Pollution Control, Air and Water. UK, Stationary Office.

McEvoy, D., Gibbs, D.and Longhurst, J.(2001). Reducing Residential Carbon Intensity: The New Role for English local Authorities. Urban Studies Volume 38 Issue 1: pp.7-21.

McGettigan, M and O’Donnell, C. (1995). Air Pollutants in Ireland-Emissions, Depositions and Concentrations 1984-1994. Wexford, Environmental Protection Agency.

Woodfield, N., Longhurst, J., Beattie, C.and Laxen, D. (2003). Regional Variation in The Implementation of The Local Air Quality Management Process Within Great Britain. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management Volume 46 Issue 1: pp.49-64.

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UK Air Quality Strategy, Its Role and Effectiveness

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