Hansard

Thank you, Presiding Officer.

Air quality in Scotland is generally good, but there are areas where it is of poor quality and affects the health of some individuals. Policies introduced over recent years to reduce emissions from transport and industry have allowed us to make real progress in driving down pollution levels. The Scottish Government is committed to maintaining and enhancing that situation.

We have come a long way since the smogs of the 1950s. To be fair to Claire Baker, I acknowledge that a lot of that has been down to de-industrialisation. Overall, the air that we breathe today is cleaner than at any time since the industrial revolution. We have achieved cleaner air by regulating industrial emissions, progressively tightening vehicle emissions and fuel standards, and controlling smoke. We continue to make progress in improving Scotland’s air quality. Emissions data released last year show that between 1990 and 2011 nitrogen dioxide decreased by 65 per cent, particulates by 58 per cent and sulphur dioxide by 79 per cent. Further decreases are predicted up to 2030 compared with 2010 levels: nitrogen oxides are expected to decline by a further 45 per cent, particulates by 5 per cent and sulphur dioxide by 40 per cent.

Despite very real achievements, we must acknowledge that areas of poorer air quality remain in some of our local areas. Clearly, much more remains to be done if we are to maintain momentum and deliver benefits. Air pollution disproportionately affects the health of the most vulnerable members of society—the very young, the elderly and those with existing cardiovascular and respiratory conditions—and can affect their quality of life. People rightly expect to be able to breathe clean air, and we are determined to reduce emissions still further by working closely with Transport Scotland, local authorities, SEPA, Health Protection Scotland and others.

The Scottish Government demonstrates its commitment to delivering clean air for a good quality of life in the air quality strategy, which sets out the policy framework for air quality in Scotland, with objectives for a number of pollutants of concern for human health.

It sets out the clear links between poor air quality and public health. I understand that current levels of air pollution shorten life expectancy by an average of seven to eight months, at an annual cost to society that is measured in billions of pounds. Across the UK, air pollution causes up to 24,000 deaths per year, which is nine times more than traffic fatalities, so it is clearly a significant problem.

We can all play a part in helping to deliver cleaner air to ensure a less polluted environment both now and for future generations, whether we do that as businesses or as individuals. In that context, it is vital that we communicate our message that personal behavioural choices play a key role in improving local environmental quality. Individual actions make a difference, and we all have a duty to ensure that we get that message across in a way that is relevant to people’s lives.

Much more is being done by the Scottish Government and our partners that benefits air quality. For instance, Transport Scotland initiatives such as the green bus fund, which Claire Baker mentioned, and the plug-in vehicles road map not only contribute to our work to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, but also help to reduce air pollution. That is an excellent example of how we are co-ordinating our policies to deliver win-win outcomes for both air quality and climate change. In addition, we recently provided SEPA with £200,000 to fund the work of the urban air quality group, which is a partnership that aims to support and assist efforts throughout Scotland to improve urban air quality.

Of the various pollutants for which objectives have been set, particulate matter can be singled out for special attention. Particulate pollution has well-documented short and long-term effects on human health. Indeed, it is not currently possible to discern a threshold concentration below which this pollutant has no effects on human health. Both short and long-term exposure to ambient levels of particulate matter are consistently associated with respiratory and cardiovascular illness and mortality, as well as other ill-health effects.

We have responded by adopting the most challenging air quality objectives in the UK. Objectives have been in place for particles of 10 microns or less in diameter, commonly referred to as PM10. However, recent reviews by the World Health Organization and others have suggested that exposure to a finer fraction of particles—PM2.5—gives a stronger association with the observed ill-health effects. We therefore set provisional objectives for PM2.5 in the 2007 air quality strategy review. In many urban areas of Scotland, reductions in ambient particle concentrations are required to achieve those ambitious objectives.

Local authorities have a vital role to play in helping us to secure further improvements to air quality, not only in respect of the idling buses that Claire Baker mentioned, which we need to control, but in respect of air quality management areas. A number of local authorities have designated such areas and prepared associated air quality action plans in order to work towards achieving reductions.

Last year, we consulted on proposals to overhaul and revamp the local air quality management system. The proposals attracted widespread support, and I believe that, once they are implemented, they will enable local authorities to deliver on their air quality responsibilities even more effectively. Among the key proposals that we are developing for further consultation are to incorporate the provisional PM2.5 objectives into regulations, placing a legal obligation on local authorities to monitor this important pollutant; to streamline the reporting process to free up time and resources for implementing actions; to maintain the Scottish air quality monitoring network at its current level; to place greater emphasis on action plan delivery through updated and more focused guidance; and to develop a clear message on the health impacts of poor air quality as the centrepiece of a national co-ordinated campaign.