On December 16, British justice recognized for the first time the role of air pollution in a death.
"
My conclusion is that air pollution was a material contribution to Ella's death,
" Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, said London Borough of Southwark Deputy Judicial Officer Philip Barlow.
The nine-year-old girl died in 2013 after a violent asthma attack while living along the South Circular, a busy boulevard in south London.
During the three years preceding her death, the young girl had suffered from numerous seizures and had about thirty hospital stays because of her asthma.
The facts date back to 2013, but they question how the City of London is fighting air pollution.
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The British capital, which is also one of the largest European metropolises marked by heavy traffic and episodes of heavy pollution - we remember the Great Smog in 1952 which had dramatic consequences with several thousand victims -, has since a few years implemented measures to reduce air pollution.
Elected in 2016, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (Labor Party) has made pollution one of the major issues of his mandate.
If his predecessors had already carried out reforms in this area, he distinguished himself by an aggressive policy of limiting traffic and promoting clean vehicles.
One of its flagship measures is the establishment, in April 2019, of an ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) in the historic center of London.
Drivers of diesel cars purchased before September 2015 or gasoline sold before 2006 must be exempt from a tax of 12.50 pounds (13.80 €) per day to enter this perimeter, whatever the time of day. .
This device is in addition to the urban toll (“congestion charge”) which has been applied in the same sector since 2003 and for which all motorists must now pay a tax of 15 pounds (16.50 €) per day if they drive. in the affected area between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Congestion charge is largely inspired by Scandinavian cities, in which it has been in place for many years.
ULEZ, on the other hand, replaces the T-charge (for “Toxicity charge”) which, since 2017, taxed 10 pounds (11 €) on gasoline and diesel vehicles sold before 2006 in the same scope.
Residents of historic central London are currently not affected by ULEZ taxes but will have to change their vehicle by October 2021 if necessary.
On the same date, Sadiq Khan also wanted to extend the perimeter of ULEZ to “Inner London”, between the North and South Circulars - where little Ella lived.
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The ultra-low emission zone applies to the historic center of London (pink dotted lines).
From October 2021, it will be extended to “Inner London” (red dotted lines).
Screenshot / Transport for London
Beyond this strong measure, considered one of the most radical in the world, the city of London is developing a cleaner bus network.
The number of electric buses thus increased from 22 in 2016 to 280 in February 2020. The creation of twelve low-emission bus zones since 2016 has also enabled certain lines located on the most polluted arteries to receive cleaner vehicles by priority.
In 2017, the London public transport operator (TfL) launched a program to encourage older and more polluting taxis to remove their licenses.
The city also began at the end of last year the complete electrification of its taxis.
Finally, like other European metropolises, London has created new cycle paths.
Improved air quality in the areas affected by the measures
If this policy is sometimes singled out by Londoners who denounce an attack on the wallet, its effects on air quality are rather satisfactory.
These impacts are essentially visible in the areas targeted by the stated measures.
According to a report published by the town hall in October and validated by scientists, the level of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) along the roads of central London fell by 44% between January 2017 and February 2020. That's It is precisely this gas emitted by thermal engines which partly caused Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah's asthma attacks.
At the same time, more than 44,000 polluting vehicles stopped driving in this perimeter during the same period.
The study estimates that CO₂ emissions have decreased by more than 12 tonnes in the center, which corresponds to a reduction of 6% compared to areas not affected by the ultra-low emission policy.
Across the city, the annual level of nitrogen dioxide decreased by 21% between 2016 and 2019 and reached the targets set by English law and the WHO.
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The level of fine particles - also responsible for Ella's death - also fell over the period, according to the report.
Their average annual level (PM2.5) in the air has decreased by 9% across the city.
This development is much less than that observed for nitrogen dioxide and does not allow us to go below the bar planned by the WHO.
As a result, 99% of Londoners still live in an area where the particle rate exceeds the target limit.
However, more than half of fine particles are not emitted in London itself.
Also, the status of mayor makes it difficult to act on pollution other than that caused by transport.
Despite these mixed results, Sadiq Khan says he is confident that London will reach legal levels by 2025. Especially since the confinement led to a drastic drop in pollution at the beginning of the year.
The mayor also has the ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 if he is re-elected in May 2021. These objectives imply a strengthening of his environmental policy.
At the end of last week, Sadiq Khan thus indicated that he was considering taxing non-London drivers entering the capital at 3.50 pounds per day (3.85 €).
