Until the day that a healthy environment is universally recognised as a fundamental human right, our politicians must be held to account. After all, over one million deaths each month are attributable to unhealthy environments.
European law has been a force for good in environmental matters as in so many other areas so it’s vital that Brexit does not derail the UK’s commitments. Air pollution harms our health and causes 400,000 premature deaths per year across the EU. It also damages nature and ecosystems.
A revision of the Ambient Air Quality Directives that strengthens EU air quality standards and other important elements for air quality management will be an important step to ensure that people’s right to clean air is respected. The European Commission will present its proposal in the second half of 2022.
The new laws must reflect the latest scientific evidence on the health and environmental impacts of air pollution, and support actions to cut pollution at source.
It is vital that we join our European cousins in demanding the harmonisation of, and better access, to information on air pollution as well as:
- Full alignment of EU air quality limit values with the latestWorld Health Organisation’s guidelines, expected in the first half of 2021, and the respect of limit values all over EU territory
- The establishment of air quality standards and monitoring requirements for additional key pollutants, such as ammonia, mercury, black carbon and ultra-fine particles.
- The fixed measurement systems to remain the core element for air quality monitoring, and to be complemented by robust modelling based on accurate monitoring data, while rejecting any attempt to restrict air quality monitoring solely to areas where population density is high
- Monitoring networks to reflect the impact of key air pollution sources such as roads, ports, airports, energy and industrial activities, including livestock farming
- Better implementation and enforcement of air quality legislation, and the introduction of provisions on access to justice, sanctions and penalties for breaching existing obligations
Buildings offer no sanctuary from polluted air
British children spend on average just 68 minutes a day outdoors. And to compound that, indoor air can be many times more polluted than external air. Air pollution has a disproportionate effect on the health of children. In fact, it now appears that air pollution may be damage our health before we are even born.
“here in the United Kingdom, for example, we have the highest prevalence of asthma in Europe and one of the major drivers of that of course is exposure to air pollution”
Stop Killing our Children is the film we made about road danger, including air pollution. Professor of Immunopharmacology Stephen Holgate told us: “We know that here in the United Kingdom, for example, we have the highest prevalence of asthma in Europe and one of the major drivers of that of course is exposure to air pollution.”
Hear more on this important subject by watching our film in full.
Protection for you and your bike
A true test of a cycle insurance company is what happens when you make a claim – it’s why we don’t farm out the process to a third party like other providers. Your claim is dealt with by one of us here and you’re always welcome to call us directly. It’s also the reason we will never devalue your bicycle, no matter how old it is.
We don’t claim to be the cheapest cover on the market, but should you ever need to make a claim, you’ll understand why we consider ourselves to be the best. After all, we are judged by The Good Shopping Guide to be Britain’s most ethical provider.
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