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UK’s new air quality grant at £7 m to pursue innovative ways to reduce air pollution
The UK government is inviting local councils across England to bid for funding from a £7 million pot to find innovative ways to improve the air quality in their areas.
The government’s Air Quality Grant helps councils develop and implement measures to benefit schools, businesses and communities and reduce the impact of air pollution on people’s health.
The grant will encourage and support projects that deal with improving air quality as well as improving knowledge about the health risks.
Local authorities across the country can bid for a portion of the fund for a wide range of projects to improve air quality and create cleaner and healthier environments. The criteria for this year’s grant period will prioritize three areas namely projects that reduce air pollution where there are nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exceedances; projects focusing on improving public knowledge and information about air quality, including steps individuals can take to reduce their exposure to air pollution; and projects that include measures to deal with particulate matter, which is the pollutant most harmful to human health.
Since it was established, the Air Quality Grant scheme has awarded more than £81 million to a variety of innovative projects. These have included a digital education package to teach children and parents about the health impacts of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, and the development of a community website to share air quality information and raise awareness with local residents and visitors.
These projects and many others funded by the grant scheme have contributed to the significant improvement in air quality seen in the UK in recent decades. Since 2010, levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – particles or liquid droplets in the air which present the greatest risk to public health – have reduced by 11% while emissions of nitrogen oxides have fallen by 32% and are at their lowest level since records began.
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