\n Our current prospects for safety are not great, as the most powerful are harming and polluting the environment, exploiting people and hoarding their profits.\n<\/p>\n
\n But we shouldn\u2019t assume that we, ordinary people, have no power at all.\n<\/p>\n
\n Looking back in history, we can see how positive change starts with just a few people.\n<\/p>\n
\n This first story is about local efforts to tackle air pollution and how you can get involved.\n<\/p>\n
\n I\u2019ve been thinking about this because my breathing was affected when walking past drivers idling engines at school pick-up time.\n<\/p>\n
\n This is illegal and significantly increases the concentration of toxic fumes in the air, affecting drivers and pedestrians alike.\n<\/p>\n
\n I ran a workshop with this local school, and the children shared fun ideas for explaining air pollution to parents and for Walk to School Week.\n<\/p>\n
\n We explored the \u2018what and why\u2019 of air pollution, discovering that air contains too many particles and toxic chemicals, worsening respiratory and circulatory diseases.\n<\/p>\n
\n It comes from: farming with pesticides and livestock, and over ploughing of soil; heating buildings with wood burners and gas boilers; factories emitting toxins like formaldehyde and lead; vehicles emitting noxious fumes; and increased wildfire smoke and storm dust due to global warming.\n<\/p>\n
\n So, what are some local campaigns, and how can you help?\n<\/p>\n
\n It was Clean Air Night on January 26, with a local action organised by Friends of the Earth Norwich.\n<\/p>\n
\n They explained that even modern wood-burning stoves pollute the air, which is a problem in more built-up areas like Norwich.\n<\/p>\n
\n Wood smoke contains fine particles and carcinogenic chemicals, and it may be worse than cigarettes at causing tumours.\n<\/p>\n
\n The next day, Clean Air Norwich and the Green Party submitted a motion to the City Council, saying that clean air is a fundamental right, not a privilege.\n<\/p>\n
\n It describes how air pollution is a silent killer, linked to serious illnesses, with the burden falling hardest on the young, the elderly, and the poorest residents.\n<\/p>\n
\n The city’s pollution levels far exceed the World Health Organisation\u2019s health-based guidelines.\n<\/p>\n
\n Actually, this is the case for 99% of the global population, causing seven million premature deaths each year.\n<\/p>\n
\n It is encouraging that the motion was unanimously passed and that the city\u2019s air is getting cleaner due to the new zero-emissions buses, a 40% increase in cycling, and measures to reduce traffic congestion.\n<\/p>\n
\n If you\u2019re in a position to do so, changing your travel habits can be sociable and fun, for example, by sharing car journeys with friends, or with a service like Liftshare or Mobilityways.\n<\/p>\n
\n If you want to get used to cycling, take part in a Critical Mass group ride, or Kidical Mass, when families gather to ride through Norwich.\n<\/p>\n
\n If you\u2019re concerned about safety, contact the Norwich Cycling Campaign for information, as they focus on tackling unsafe road areas and supporting people who feel vulnerable.\n<\/p>\n
\n Another way to help is to plant up and extend green spaces, as plants remove pollutants and CO2, and release chemicals that benefit our health.\n<\/p>\n
\n There are several routes to get involved, including the Outdoor Projects Network run by the council\u2019s community enabling team.\n<\/p>\n
\n Getting involved isn’t always easy, and progress can be slow.\n<\/p>\n
\n Since I worked with my local school on air pollution last summer, cars with idling engines still clog the streets.\n<\/p>\n
\n I really do sympathise.\n<\/p>\n
\n Teachers and parents have very little time, and want children to be safe.\n<\/p>\n
\n So many schools are built near busy roads, so they depend on infrastructure changes led by local authorities.\n<\/p>\n
\n While I am pointing to actions we can try as individuals, I don\u2019t mean to blame people for their behaviour when we are all caught up in a high-carbon, high-consuming society.\n<\/p>\n
\n These examples focus on Norwich because it\u2019s where I live, so do find out what groups or actions are relevant and local to you.\n<\/p>\n
\n Whatever you choose to do, know that the chances of success are much higher if you try than if you give up.\n<\/p>\n
\n And you are not alone; join in with others, and ask for their help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our current prospects for safety are not great, as the most powerful are harming and polluting the environment,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418077,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[1397,90,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-418076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}