Nitrogen Dioxide Pollution

The Assembly notes the recent ruling of the Supreme Court that the UK Government has failed in its legal duty to reduce nitrogen dioxide pollution to within legal limits by 2010. 

The Assembly recalls that in October 2011 it raised concerns that the Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy relies on government delivering specific measures and funding to enable legal limits for nitrogen dioxide to be met by 2015 at the latest.  The Assembly called on the Mayor to update his strategy to include faster and stronger action in London to ensure that the capital’s air meets legal standards for nitrogen dioxide.

The Assembly notes that the Mayor has failed to include these actions in his strategy.

The Assembly also notes the finding of a recent report commissioned by Defra, ‘Remote sensing of nitrogen dioxide exhaust emissions from road vehicles’. The report confirmed that the Euro vehicle emission standards and technologies, upon which the Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy is heavily reliant, have not delivered the expected reductions in nitrogen dioxide to fall within legal limits.

This Assembly therefore calls on the Mayor of London to urgently develop plans for emergency measures to bring nitrogen dioxide pollution levels within legal limits.