Clean Air Campaigns

Useful clean air campaign links

Robin Hood for clean air

Clean Air Nottingham

Clean Air Nottingham is an Air Pollution Action Group, formed following a public debate organised by Nottingham Trent University in November 2018 on "Action for clean air in Nottingham" in collaboration with London Sustainability Exchange (whose work on air pollution has since been taken over by Global Action Plan). The Group set four main areas to work on:

  • monitoring action by the City Council;
  • reporting pollution data;
  • research into local health impacts;
  • engaging local communities.

Previously a Greenlight Notts facebook page posted updates on official monitoring data for nitrogen dioxide and particulates on the ring road at Western Boulevard - with levels of NO2 upto 131µg/m3 on 27 March and 101µg/m3 on 21 April (compared to a legal limit of 40 for annual average).

Wood burning in Greater Nottingham

Call to stop wood burning (Nov 2023)

Clean Air Nottingham is calling for action to stop pollution from wood burning. A new report, TIME TO LOG OFF, claims that a wood burning stove can emit 150 times more fine particles (PM2.5) than a heavy goods vehicle. This is contributing to over 200 deaths a year in Greater Nottingham from PM2.5. The group wants the government to:

  • ban use of wood burning stoves;
  • pass the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill;
  • give local authorities more power and resources to reduce air pollution. Read More >
Secret Killer report

Why no City plan for PM2.5? (Jul 2019)

Newly formed campaign group Clean Air Nottingham says the City Council is not doing enough to tackle the problem of small particles. Their report, Nottingham's Secret Killer, shows levels of PM2.5 above World Health Organisation guidelines in many parts of the city, including near the Queen's Medical Centre. Clean Air Nottingham is calling for:

  • citywide monitoring of PM2.5;
  • analysis of sources of Nottingham's PM2.5;
  • a plan showing how PM2.5 levels can be lowered;
  • a medical investigation of effects of PM2.5 on hospital admissions. Read More >
BLF logo

Pollution around the QMC is unsafe (Oct 2018)

A new report from the British Lung Foundation says that pollution levels around the QMC are unsafe. And both the City Council and Highways England should be doing more. Fine particulates (PM2.5) are linked to 6.4% of adult deaths in the city.

"Transport remains an important contributor to poor air quality, and, in 2020, petrol and diesel cars will still be one of the main contributors to poor air quality." So more needs to be done to curb traffic on the trunk roads around the QMC. Read More >

We want a clean air zone

Why won't Nottingham get a Clean Air Zone? (Sep 2018)

Nottingham still has illegal levels of air pollution. This is nearly 20 years after Air Quality Management Areas were declared. Nottingham has been good at measuring air pollution; not so good at reducing it.

EU rules required compliance by 2010, delayed to 2015 for the UK. It then required legal action all the way up to the Supreme Court to force the government to produce a plan to bring down pollution by 2020 - which has still not been implemented. In September 2018 Nottingham City Council finally submitted limited proposals. We are waiting for government approval. Read More >

Air pollution and transport (May 2018)

A report from the Campaign for Better Transport says that local transport is the main contributor to air pollution. But action is needed by the Government, not just local authorities. CBT wants older, more polluting vehicles off the road. And government-supported local car scrappage schemes. Read More >

City Hospital coal-fired boiler chimney

City Hospital to shut down coal-fired boiler at last (Aug 2017)

After years of complaints from local residents, the City Hospital has only just stopped burning coal. That follows a campaign backed by Nottingham Friends of the Earth. This is one of the last coal-fired boilers in the city. Read More >