Chris Whitty report on air quality urges acceleration of EVs

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Professor Chris Whitty, has published a report on air pollution, making 15 recommendations across a range of sectors, including transport, urban planning, industry and agriculture.

Recommendations within the report include accelerating the electrification of light vehicles and public transport, and calls for more innovation to reduce air pollution from non-exhaust sources such as tyres. It also says that there needs to be a greater range of options for reducing air pollution from heavy and specialised vehicles.

Local urban planning should support reducing air pollution locally – such as reducing air pollution near schools and healthcare settings.

According to the report people spend around 80% of their time indoors, whether for work, study or leisure. Many indoor spaces are public, and people do not have a choice about spending time in them. Despite this, indoor air pollution has been studied less than outdoors.

The CMO’s report includes a chapter with case studies of three cities in England – Birmingham, Bradford and London.

Each of these cities have had significant challenges around air pollution and have taken slightly different approaches to tackle it. These have included integrating actions including around transport, urban planning and design, reducing pollution around schools and monitoring at a city level.