Local Air Pollution
By: Liam Stanley
Rather than walk around Stream with a laptop, I decided to start four notes on my phone that I would add to over the three-day (un)conference.
- Topics to follow up on
- People to follow on Linkedin
- List of the talks to attend, very handy for an (un)conference that has no fixed agenda
- Finally, those key reoccurring topics
The notes were varied, from new HBO series, genealogy, to questioning if programmatic fuelling the ugly face of capitalism or why it’s never been a better time to work in media.
But across keynotes, breakouts or dining table conversations, the same topics kept coming up: -
- Brand Purpose & reputation
- The Future
- Market Dominance
- And repeatedly, sustainability and the environment
As my role of Market Operations Manager at a High-Speed Railway, we take our green credentials extremely seriously.
As a human with a passion for travel & transport who lives in Central London I take it seriously.
One of the talks I attended at Stream hosted by Waze, started off as a conversation about the Co2 impacts of motor vehicles and how the car sharing economy can support traffic, pollution and cities in general.
As conversation developed, with attendance from Shell, BP, Google, Air B&B, it became apparent that government, education, corporations and individuals need to somehow come together, or be driven to instigate real world change to see the environmental impact we need. Bigger than any individual country, approach or ideology.
There was a moment of realisation for me that whilst there is optimism around initiatives there is still a huge way to go, and whilst looking at it globally is essential! If we all agreed the response isn’t happening as it needs to then what else should we be doing.
The most obvious impact at a local level is air pollution. The World Health Organisation describe the adverse health effects as the world’s largest single environmental risk. Air pollution is responsible for 7million premature deaths every year, both from indoor and outdoor sources. Consistently in the media, a Google News search for “Air Pollution” will give you plenty to read.
8 of the WHOs 17 Sustainable Development Goals are related to Air Pollution and Transportation.
I left not thinking about the wider environmental goings on but wondering what it would take at a local level bring the impact home, shift perceptions and get some momentum behind real change.
Bring it closer to home, Living in Central London (on a busy road) and having taken part in a Kings College survey regarding air pollution on certain routes might have made me more aware than the average commuter, but my interest alone is never going to be enough…
· More than 2 million Londoners, including 400,000 children, live in areas which exceed current air pollution limits
· Over 450 London state schools are in areas with dangerously high air pollution levels
· Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of poor air quality. Children growing up in heavily polluted streets have a smaller lung capacity than those in cleaner areas. This can’t be reversed.
Three different things have given me hope in recent years and I try to talk to people in London about them.
1. City Air iPhone App
Part of the Kings College survey was to download an app which shows street level pollution in London. Is informing the population of pollution hot spots whilst offering alternative, lesser polluted routes going to help?
2. https://addresspollution.org/ — my report as an image below, scoring a 5
An initiative by COPI (Centre of Public Interest) to run the campaign that the British Government won’t. Using KCL data, you can enter your postcode to generate a free air pollution report. This includes an outline of health and financial costs.
- Annual Nitrogen Dioxide levels are double the WHOS annual legal limit of 40mcg/m3, independent research shows that 92% wouldn’t rent or buy if they know about the impact of living in an area with these levels.
- Living here for a year or more leads to a 33% increased risk of disease related death, with strong evidence it leads to asthma and student growth in children, and decreased lunch function in adults.
3. As the most powerful driver of change in London at least, TFL are aiming to have 80% of trips in London made by foot, cycling or public transport by 2041. This doesn’t feel particularly ambitious, but it’s on the agenda and hopefully pressure over the coming years can push this further.
Whilst the session itself teetered between pessimism and optimism, either way the topic is firmly in my mind and “things” are happening out in the wider world to instigate this change, it just, sadly won’t happen overnight.
Sources:-
https://www.who.int/airpollution/ambient/policy-governance/en/
https://www.centralofficeofpublicinterest.com/
https://www.who.int/sustainable-development/news-events/breath-life/about/en/
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/air-quality?cid=air-quality
