What is being done to improve air quality in Newport?

EARLIER this week the G7 nations agreed to invest $100 billion a year to help poor and developing countries cut emissions and move away from their reliance on coal.

This was a recognition that developed nations must lead the way in tackling the problem.

So what is being done in Newport to improve air quality.

Newport West MS Jayne Bryant raised the issue of air pollution in the city in her very first question in the Senedd in 2016.

“It is one of the most immediate challenges we face," she said. "Every year, across Wales, air pollution contributes to almost 1,400 early deaths and costs the Welsh NHS almost £1 billion.

"We know that for some, even a short-term spike in air pollution can affect their health whilst long term exposure also increases your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, dementia, lung cancer, diabetes and more."

She said that cutting a reliance on cars was central to improving Newport's air quality, and pointed to measures in the Burns Report, which set out a series of ways of improving transport around the city after the M4 relief road was scrapped, as a way of doing this.

"Easing congestion and giving people an alternative to cars is vital," she said. "The Burns Report’s recommendations will completely transform the transport system in the city. Now they have to be delivered."

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An unexpected upside to the coronavirus pandemic and the way many have been forced to work from home is that air quality around Wales has improved significantly.

A Welsh Government and Clean Air Programme report said from March 16, 2020, the start of social distancing, to May 31, the same year, it was estimated that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations decreased on average by 36 per cent at roadside sites in Wales.

NO2 is a dangerous greenhouse gas which can cause irritation of eyes, nose and throat and when inhaled might cause lung irritations and decreased lung function. In areas with higher levels of nitrogen dioxide, there is greater chance of asthma attacks.

Pollution and the environment is devolved to Wales, and the Welsh Government has been keen to encourage the use of public transport.

Newport East MS John Griffiths said he was pleased to see efforts by Newport Transport to partially convert their bus fleet into an electrically operated one, and hopes other transport measures can follow suit.

“Tackling the climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges we face, not just here in Wales, but also globally – and tackling air pollution is central to that," he said. "It is estimated that 36,000 deaths in the UK are caused by air pollution – and it triggers asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

“As well as being an environmental challenge, it is also a public health one – and the quicker we address it, the better chance we have of creating a greener and healthier Wales for people to live and work in.”

Newport West MP Ruth Jones is also Labour’s shadow minister for air quality and the natural environment, and hosted the party's Clean Air Summit in April.

“The Tories in Westminster should – and must – follow the lessons of the Welsh Labour Government and take all the possible steps to preserve our environment, protect our planet and save lives," she said.

“The Conservative Government in Westminster is not doing enough to tackle air pollution in England. Air pollution is a public health issue, and it is a poverty issue, with our poorest community’s hardest hit. Conservative inaction on air quality has led to air pollution reaching illegal levels.”

From the Welsh Government’s Clean Air Plan to our own personal travel changes due to lockdown, it appears that Newport and Gwent’s air quality is going to be greener than ever in the future.