Leader

摘要

It took just five days this year for London's air pollution limit to be breached, on Brixton Road in Lambeth, south London. A fortnight later, air quality in the capital was worse than in smog-filled Beijing. Air pollution is estimated to contribute to around 40,000 early deaths in the UK each year. Globally, according to the US Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, it contributes to more premature deaths than both high cholesterol and alcohol. Yet aside from the occasional mask-wearing cyclist, the problem has, so far, appeared to have made little impact on British public or political consciousness.