Environment Act target setting consultation

ClientEarth argues that the UK Government's proposed 2040 air quality targets are insufficiently ambitious and urges respondents to advocate for a 2030 deadline for PM2.5 concentration targets to protect public health and reduce economic costs.

• ClientEarth opposes the UK Government's proposal to set a PM2.5 concentration target of 10 µg/m3 by 2040, arguing that the deadline should be moved to 2030 at the latest to avoid exposing another generation to toxic pollution.
• Achieving a PM2.5 target of 10 µg/m3 by 2030 instead of 2040 could result in an average of 388,000 fewer days of asthma symptom flare-ups annually for children, over 3,000 fewer cases of coronary heart disease per year, and an increase in average life expectancy of 9-10 weeks for those born in 2018.
• The economic impact of air pollution is cited as costing the NHS up to £20bn, while reaching the 10 µg/m3 target by 2030 could provide total economic benefits exceeding £3bn per year.
• The proposed 'Population Exposure Reduction Target' of a 35% reduction in population exposure by 2040 (relative to 2018) is criticized for potentially allowing pollution hotspots to persist in disadvantaged communities while areas with already cleaner air improve further.

APA

ClientEarth (2022). Environment Act target setting consultation. https://www.clientearth.org/media/bkpljghz/environment-act-target-setting-consultation-clientearth-guide-to-responding-on-clean-air.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Environment Act target setting consultation. 2022. https://www.clientearth.org/media/bkpljghz/environment-act-target-setting-consultation-clientearth-guide-to-responding-on-clean-air.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=Environment Act target setting consultation |date=May 2022 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/bkpljghz/environment-act-target-setting-consultation-clientearth-guide-to-responding-on-clean-air.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2022environment, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Environment Act target setting consultation}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/bkpljghz/environment-act-target-setting-consultation-clientearth-guide-to-responding-on-clean-air.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }