The Disproportionate Impact of Air Pollution on Minorities and Poor Communities

By Elf

Photo by Mario La Pergola on Unsplash

 

Air pollution is not just an environmental issue; it’s a social justice crisis. In the UK air pollution disproportionately affects the most deprived communities and ethnic minorities. A report from June last year underscores the stark differences in air quality between London’s wealthiest and poorest areas, revealing that Black, Asian, and diaspora immigrant communities are the most exposed to toxic air.

Unequal Exposure: The Statistics

Data from London City Hall and Friends of The Earth show a grim reality in England:

• Black Londoners and diaspora immigrant communities are more likely to live in areas with higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
• The most deprived areas in London had average NO2 levels 4.4 µg/m3 higher than the least deprived areas in 2019.
• Despite reductions in overall pollution, these communities continue to breathe air that is significantly more polluted than the London average.
• Over one million children under 18 in England live in areas where air pollution levels are double the WHO guidelines.
• Half of neighbourhoods that have very high air pollution are in the bottom 30% of the most deprived neighbourhoods. And nearly half (44% to 47%) of the population in neighbourhoods with very high air pollution are people of colour, meaning that people of colour are over 3 times more likely to live in a very highly polluted area than white people.
• Nearly three-quarters of a million children under 12 are exposed to these harmful conditions.
• Friends of the Earth analysis shows there are 2,546 neighbourhoods in England with average air pollution levels double the WHO guidelines.

 

The Fight for Cleaner Air: Progress and Setbacks

The UK Government has made strides in addressing air pollution. In 2019, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published the Clean Air Strategy.

However, the proposed Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill threatens to dismantle these hard-won legal protections. According to Client Earth’s Katie Nield, “Ministers are presenting a deeply worrying Bill in Parliament which could rip out the legal protections in our statute book.”

Emma Montlake, Co-Director of the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), poignantly stated, “Air pollution is an invisible killer that discriminates based on race and socio-economic status. We must address this injustice with urgency and ensure the UK adheres to laws that protect the right of the people to clean air.”