Not enough progress is being made
Scottish Environment Link has quit the Scottish Government’s clean air group citing frustration at progress in tackling unsafe levels of air pollution.
The Cleaner Air for Scotland Group oversees the delivery of the Scottish Government's air quality strategy which promised legally compliant air by 2020.
Ministers have promised to deliver low emission zones (LEZ) in four Scottish cities by that date but detailed plans for the first one in Glasgow have been met with disappointment from many environmentalists.
The LEZ will only target the most polluting type of buses, and will not result in any vehicle being banned from the city centre until the end of 2022.
Link has now withdrawn from the Cleaner Air for Scotland Governance Group which oversees the government's clean air strategy.
Friends of the Earth Scotland's Air Pollution Campaigner Emilia Hanna and Scottish Environment Link’s honorary professor James Curran represented Link on the group.
Link’s letter of resignation says that despite “every constructive effort” made to inject ambition and urgency into the creation of Low Emission Zones in Scotland, at nearly every single stage they have felt frustrated by lack of progress.
James Curran said: “We had no alternative but to resign. For two years we made every effort to inject ambition and urgency into the creation of the first LEZ. In the end we're deeply disappointed.
“Recently Scottish Government created an ambitious, strategic and tightly managed national system to tackle flood risk - and now funds it with over £40M per year.
"Sadly there is no similar determination to tackle air pollution which is directly causing thousands of premature deaths.
“The High Court ordered that air pollution problems must be fixed as fast as possible and that cost can't be used as an excuse.”
Air pollution campaigner for Friends of the Earth Scotland Emilia Hanna added: "For two years we have tried to help the group move beyond a collective unwillingness to tackle air pollution head on.
“The lack of actual facts on bus numbers, available finance and legal options that has informed Glasgow LEZ plans has been the final straw and we feel that we can be more effective in achieving clean air outside of the group.”
