In a landmark ruling today the Supreme Court has ruled the UK government has failed in its duty to protect the population from the harmful and deadly effects of increasing levels of air pollution.
In terms of identifying the sources of harmful Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) a report from DEFRA shows the main culprits are industry, transport and energy generation.
Air pollution, according the Guardian, is the cause of 29,000 premature deaths in the UK each year and many more cases of heart and respiratory diseases.
Adding additional filtration or banning cars from town centres will only get you so far. What’s required is the mass-electrification of industry and transport. As a country we need to move away from all forms of fossil based fuel towards renewable and clean sources of electricity.
Sure, renewables appear expensive in the short term, but economists predict that each barrel of oil displaced by alternative forms actually saves an economy many times these costs in the long term.