Clean Air Day Scotland 2020

Environmental Protection Scotland
October 08, 2020

Clean Air Day Scotland 2020

Clean Air Day - 8th October 2020

Scotland generally has good air quality, but during the national COVID-19 lockdown we experienced short-term improvements in air quality as people cut down on vehicle use through home working, and cycled and walked for their daily exercise routine. Let’s keep up the momentum and keep our air clean. Air pollution reduces life expectancy and affects people in the short-term, particularly asthma sufferers, people with respiratory diseases or other ailments. It can lead to increased hospital admissions for patients with lung and heart disease, especially during periods of higher than normal background levels of air pollution. Children also suffer from the effects of inhaling poor quality air. Road transport remains a major source of air pollution, contributing to one-third of NO_X in Scotland. Being exposed to air pollution during pregnancy and after birth may affect the development of a baby’s lungs. There are simple steps we can all take to help our family avoid exposure to polluted air and cut down on the pollution we make, as well as improving our health, fitness and mental wellbeing through active travel.

Why is air pollution a problem?

Air pollution affects people in the short-term, particularly asthma sufferers; people with respiratory diseases or ailments and can lead to more hospital admissions for patients with lung and heart disease during periods of higher than normal background levels of pollution. Walking or cycling keeps you fit and healthy!

What are the causes of air pollution?

Here are some of the causes of air pollution:

1. General public driving cars
2. Cars not being well maintained and tyres not being properly inflated
3. Older, more polluting vehicles, including buses and road haulage
4. Vehicle idling
5. Emissions from deliveries.
6. Industrial sites, agriculture and domestic fuel burning.

What action can I take?

1. Travel differently – think before you use your car. Walk, cycle, reduce your journeys by working from home. Walk or cycle using a quieter, less busy route or try out a car-free cycle route. Children can encourage their parents to take them to/from school using active travel.
2. Talk to your manager about how you can continue to work from home for at least a day or two a week, including on Clean Air Day. Challenge your workplace to make this easier for you. Businesses can support your staff to continue to work from home more regularly and encourage them to support the creation of a clean air plan for your organisation. Get your WORKPLACE TOOLKIT and Businesses for Clean Air
3. Consider taking up a grant to buy an electric vehicle, eBike or cargo bike, travel in an electric or hybrid taxi. Scotland has a comprehensive EV charge-point network.
4. School teachers can discuss air pollution in class or monitor air quality in the playground and host a walk/cycle/scoot to school day. Work with the council to trial a School Street on Clean Air Day.
5. Find out more about the air quality in your area by visiting Scottish Air Quality or sharing on social media and download the app.
6. Avoid using wood burning stoves/open fires unless it is essential. Only burn dry, well-seasoned wood or ‘Ready to Burn’ labelled wood or smokeless fuel. Take household and garden waste to recycling centres rather than burning them outside.
7. Write to your MSP to tell them what you are doing to improve air quality and ask them to play their part.

Three things I can do today

1. Walk/cycle your kids to school or walk/cycle to work
2. Book a test drive of an electric vehicle, or try out an eBike or cargo bike for your business.
3. Speak to your local council about setting up a ‘school street.’

Why should Clean Air Day matter to me?

The World Health Organisation environmental burden of disease study in 2016 identified air pollution as the largest environmental risk to health across the world. Through our collective behaviours (working from home, walking and cycling instead of driving) during the national lockdown, there were extraordinary improvements in outdoor air quality. Let’s now keep doing these behaviours to keep our air clean. We can create a new normal with clean air by continuing to make these positive changes and keep healthy. Let’s make Thursday October 8th the cleanest Clean Air Day yet and feel the difference.

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