Sadiq Khan was today branded ‘politically courageous’ by the World Health Organization‘s (WHO) climate chief for pushing through with the ULEZ expansion.
London‘s mayor sparked outrage with his decision to widen the scheme to cover all 32 boroughs, which kicked in at the end of August.
Protestors angered by the levy — £12.50 a day for cars that fall short of the emissions standard — have even taken to destroying cameras.
Maria Neira, the WHO’s environment, climate change and health director, said the backlash was expected.
London ‘s mayor sparked outrage with his decision to widen the scheme to cover all 32 boroughs, which kicked in at the end of August. But Maria Neira (right), the WHO’s environment, climate change and health director, today said the backlash was expected. She compared it to the frustration surrounding the indoor smoking ban in 2007, which ended up making people ‘happier’. Pictured, Dr Neira with Spain’s Queen Letizia and Tedros Adhanom, the WHO’s director general
She compared it to the frustration surrounding the indoor smoking ban in 2007, which ended up making people ‘happier’.
Speaking to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), she said: ‘We are now looking at [Khan] with a lot of interest.
‘If he succeeds (with the ULEZ expansion having health benefits outweighing the downsides) we need to use this example for all mayors around the world.
‘It would be really very bad if we lost this battle in terms of public health.’
London pollution levels frequently break recommended limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and PM2.5 — particles in the air invisible to the human eye but able to get into blood and penetrate deep into the lungs.
The particles are mainly produced by burning fossil fuels, such as from traffic and power generation, and have been liked to everything dementia to heart disease.
When Khan announced the expansion in November 2022, he said the purpose was to ‘clean up London’s toxic air and tackle the climate emergency’.
Sadiq Khan made a controversial decision to widen the scheme to cover all 32 boroughs. The expanded scheme, which began in late August, now sees motorists slapped with a £12.50 daily fee for using their vehicle within the Ultra Low Emission Zone, unless they meet the required emissions standards
This came after researchers from Imperial College London estimated that around 4000 deaths in London in 2019 could be attributed to air pollution.
A 2022 a TfL-commissioned review also uncovered a plethora of benefits of expanding the scheme.
‘All socio-economic groups would benefit from reductions in average concentrations of NO2 and PM2.5, including approximately 1.5million people living in the bottom two deciles of deprivation in Greater London,’ it said.
These included reduced admissions for respiratory admissions, asthma cases, stroke and coronary heart disease.
But the scheme has faced severe opposition from politicians, while protestors aiming to sabotage the scheme have clashed with ULEZ wardens.
Some 595 cameras have been damaged and 200 stolen over the past six months, the Met Police also confirmed this week.
‘Regarding ULEZ or other initiatives, they always come with controversy,’ Dr Neira told the BMJ.
‘Anytime you touch a commercial interest, an economic interest, you will have a very strong reaction. And part of this reaction will come in the form of conspiracy theories.’
London pollution levels frequently break recommended limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and PM2.5 — particles in the air that are invisible to the human eye but can get into the blood and penetrate deep into the lungs. The particles are mainly produced by burning fossil fuels, such as from traffic and power generation, and have been liked to everything dementia to heart disease
What are the London ULEZ required emissions standards?
To meet the ULEZ emissions standard in London, all vehicles must meet the required Euro emissions standard for their vehicle and emission type.
The ULEZ standards are:
• Euro 3 for motorcycles, mopeds, motorised tricycles and quadricycles (L category)
• Euro 4 (NOx) for petrol cars, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles
• Euro 6 (NOx and PM) for diesel cars, vans and minibuses and other specialist vehicles
But she also criticised politicians who speak about climate change, yet fail to act.
She said: ‘Sometimes you see big politicians talking and using the language of an activist, which is great.
‘But then don’t forget that they have the power. You are the prime minister, so don’t tell me, tell yourself and then make the right decisions.’
Air pollution is known to cause lung cancer.
Although smoking remains the biggest risk factor for the disease — which accounts for 34,800 deaths in the UK annually — outdoor air pollution causes roughly one in 10 cases.
An estimated 6,000 people who have never smoked die of lung cancer every year in the UK, some of which may be due to air pollution exposure.
Medics and health charities have been hugely welcoming of any scheme to expand ULEZ.
In an editorial by the BMJ’s editor-in-chief Kamran Abbasi and colleagues today, they also warned ULEZ has been ‘presented as unpopular and harmful, despite surveys showing more support than opposition and evidence of their public health benefit’.
Recent back pedalling on climate targets in the UK ‘illustrates how denialism and delay are too often chosen over political commitment and courage’, they also argued.
The 2022 Tfl-commissioned review, however found the proposed ULEZ expansion would only result in ‘a minor reduction (-1.3 per cent) in the average exposure of the population of Greater London to NO2′.
It would also only see ‘negligible reductions (-0.1 per cent) in average exposure to PM2.5’, it said.
However, the report only factored in the effects widening the ULEZ would have on cancer using one type of pollutant — PM2.5.
The analysis did not include cancer incidence estimates for NO2, considered one of the most dangerous types of pollutant due to uncertainties on this data.
But this was not the first time Mr Khan has been criticised over data used back up the controversial scheme.
Earlier this year in February, doubts were cast over a figure published by the Mayor to justify the scheme where he claimed toxic air led to the premature deaths of 4,000 Londoners.
In an open letter to those opposing his plans, Mr Khan highlighted what that meant for certain boroughs in the capital.
‘Research by Imperial College London shows Bromley has the highest premature deaths linked to air pollution with an estimated 204 lives lost in 2019,’ he wrote.
But Bromley Council leader Colin Smith hit back, saying said the study commissioned by City Hall ‘chose to ignore Bromley’s much older population profile’.
He said many elderly residents spent ‘their younger years in inner London experiencing the smogs and smoke-filled pubs of yesteryear’.
He added: ‘It is complete nonsense.’