Friends of the Earth has slammed Tuesday’s budget after the Chancellor failed to tackle the UK’s air pollution crisis, which leads to tens of thousands of premature deaths every year. Mr Hammond also signalled the UK’s continuing addiction to climate-wrecking fossil fuels, saying it was absolutely essential that we maximise the exploitation of remaining North Sea oil and gas reserves.A coalition of politicians, businesses, taxi drivers, health professionals and environmentalists had called for a diesel scrappage scheme ahead of this year’s Budget.
And earlier this week, a Friends of the Earth poll by YouGov revealed that nearly half of car-owning British adults (45%) would be likely to change their car to a less polluting model if they were given government-backed financial assistance:
Friends of the Earth air pollution campaigner Oliver Hayes said:
“The chancellor did nothing to protect our children from the twin threats of toxic air pollution and climate change”
“With thousands of people dying prematurely from air pollution every year it’s astonishing that the Chancellor didn’t act on dirty diesel.
“A scrappage scheme aimed at the most polluting vehicles, paid for by a one-off charge on new diesel cars, would have been an important step forward in tackling this public health crisis.
“Rapid government measures are needed to clean up the pollution from Britain’s vehicles – but Hammond and May seem to be stuck idling in neutral.”
Commenting on government plans to maximise the exploitation of the UK’s remaining North Sea oil and gas reserves, Friends of the Earth’s senior climate campaigner Simon Bullock said:
“In December the government said 70-75% of the world’s coal, oil and gas must stay unused to tackle climate change – now the chancellor says it’s essential we exploit all our North Sea gas and oil reserves.
“This Budget signals more support to gas and oil corporations, at a time when we desperately need stronger action to tackle climate change.”
Friends of the Earth is calling for much stronger and quicker action from the government to meet EU legal limits on air pollution in the shortest time possible including:
• Plan for the phase out of diesel vehicles by 2025 as part of a 21st Century Clean Air Act
• Expand London’s Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) for all vehicles across the whole of the capital, and many more and stronger Clean Air Zones (CAZ’s) across the rest of the country
• Invest more in cycling and public transport to give people better alternatives to driving, and don’t allow road-building to add to the problem – FoE, UK
