Mayor Convenes Government & Health Leaders for Second Clean Air & Health Summit

Today’s Summit brings together key leaders in the air, health and environment sectors to share learning and drive further action on tackling air pollution.

 

Chaired by Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, attendees will include campaigner Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE, Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, Professor Kevin Fenton, Regional Public Health Director for London, and Emma Hardy MP, Minister for Water and Flooding at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). They will be joined by representatives from across the health sector including representatives from several of the Royal Colleges.

 

The Mayor’s inaugural Summit took place in February 2022 after nine-year-old Ella Roberta Adoo-Kissi-Debra became the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death. Ella tragically died in 2013 following an asthma attack, and in 2020 an inquest found that air pollution “made a material contribution” to her death. The coroner’s report also highlighted concerns around public awareness of air pollution and its impact on health and made 3 clear recommendations to Government and the Mayor to prevent future deaths.

 

The 2022 Summit provided an opportunity for leaders to discuss these concerns and commit to a number of actions in response to the issues raised.  The follow-up Summit today will discuss progress made on those actions and debate what further action is required to tackle this urgent health pandemic.

 

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "I want London to be the best place in the world to grow up in and I’m determined to consign air pollution to the history books. I remember being told that it would take 193 years to reach legal limits, I decided that this was unacceptable and thanks to the bold policies we put in place, we've managed to do it in just nine years – 184 years early. We've made important progress in cleaning up our toxic air, but there is still much more to do.

 

“I’m proud to once again bring together environment and health leaders alongside Government to build on what we've achieved since my first Clean Air and Health Summit in 2022. By sharing key lessons from the past few years we can drive further action to help ensure a child never dies from air pollution again. Together we can build a better, greener, fairer London for all.”

 

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE, WHO BreatheLife Ambassador, CYP Health Advocate and Founder of the Ella Roberta Family Foundation said: “Over five years ago, the Coroner delivered a landmark verdict at the end of the second inquest into my daughter Ella’s tragic death at the age of 9.  He ruled that she was killed by air pollution, primarily from the vehicle exhausts emitted from the road just a stone’s throw from where we lived.

 

“It was a global first that we had managed to prove that air pollution had caused Ella’s death, and the Coroner listed 3 clear recommendations for the Government and the Mayor of London, within a Prevention of Future Deaths Report, to ensure no other child or family, must endure losing someone like Ella.  The Coroner was very clear: “unless more is done to clean up the air, more children like Ella will continue to die.”  

 

“I am grateful to all those who are attending here today, particularly those from the medical community who see first-hand the damage that air pollution is doing to their patients.  The UK, one of the most developed nations in the world has 500 people dying prematurely each week from air pollution. An invisible, yet preventable threat I hope we will tackle for the sake of all our health.”

 

Professor Kevin Fenton, Regional Public Health Director for London said: “Air pollution remains the UK’s largest environmental threat to public health. In London, it contributes to around 4,000 premature deaths each year and drives significant illness and inequality, affecting everyone who lives and works here - from before birth into older age.

 

“That’s why the collective action highlighted at today’s summit matters. London is making real progress, and cleaner air is beginning to benefit more people, especially those in our most deprived communities who have long borne the heaviest burdens.

 

“Reducing air pollution and improving health demands an inclusive, multidisciplinary approach across health, transport and environmental services. Together, London’s partners can show what’s possible when a city unites to protect the health of all its residents.”

 

Emma Hardy MP said: "Air pollution is detrimental to our society, health and the environment, and we're determined to take action to improve the air we breathe.

 

"I’ve been working closely with the Mayor of London, Greater London Authority and its partners to build on the strong progress already made to reduce everyone's exposure to air pollution. Looking forward, we are developing a new alert system and reforming industrial permitting to cut emissions and take us one step further towards the clean air we want for our capital city.

 

"These impactful plans cement our commitment to tackling this important issue for all Londoners."