Let’s clean up toxic air

People’s lives are being blighted by traffic and toxic air. While politicians stand by, you can take action today.

Protecting our families from pollution can sometimes feel like an insurmountable task, with governments continually disregarding the environment and spending fortunes on legal battles against clean air campaigners.

But people are harder to ignore, if their voices can be heard.

Communities are desperate to tackle one of the biggest environmental and health problems we face – air pollution. And they are asking NEF for help.

Last month’s unprecedented report from MPs declared air pollution ​“a national health emergency resulting in an estimated 40,000 early deaths each year”, and scolded successive governments for failing to protect the public from poisonous air. We cannot afford to sit back and wait while politicians kick the can down the road. Primary school children breathing filthy air today will have children of their own by the time the government intends to finally phase out diesel cars.

Dirty air, like most environmental issues, affects worst of all those with the least power to do anything about it. Low income and ethnic minority groups are more likely to live in highly polluted areas, while children and older people are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of toxic air.

We want to put the power of citizen science in the hands of ignored people, driving community-led action that improves air quality. With air monitoring equipment and advice from leading scientific researchers, we will help collect data on people’s daily exposure to dirty air and to understand where the biggest risks to health come from.

We will train people in organising and campaigning to clean up their air. Our economic analysis and research will provide vital cost-benefit evidence to support their proposals. People previously unrepresented in the debate will become powerful voices calling on national politicians to pull their weight – and inspire other communities to act.

This is a bold and exciting approach,but it needs time and investment to do properly: lasting and effective campaigns don’t happen overnight. We need to raise £15,000 to help a community group start making a real difference to their own lives, and those of their families and everyone in their area.

Very generously, the Pickwell Foundation has agreed to match all donations up to a total of £7,500 made by the end of April. This means we only need to raise £7,500 to hit our £15,000 target. Can you help us reach our goal?

Your donation would help to:

• Train people to use state-of-the-art air monitoring kits, and help them use and explain the powerful data they generate.
• Design a local action plan that will improve air quality and people’s health.
• Provide campaign strategy training, so they can effectively demand meaningful changes.
• Deliver analysis and research to provide robust evidence in terms decision makers can use.
• Give their story a national platform to inspire others and to push for a better response from the government to the toxic air crisis.

Together, we can help a community clean up toxic air and inspire similar actions across the country.

Donate to clean up toxic air

Photo: Petras Gagilas