A SCOTTISH MP will attempt to change the law to make air cleaner in the UK.
Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat MP, is to hold a second reading of her Clean Air Targets Bill today in the House of Commons.
The Bill would make it a legal requirement for the UK Government to put its clean air guidelines on par with those set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Ministers would also have to report annually on the UK's compliance with the WHO standard in Parliament.
Ms Jardine, MP for Edinburgh West, has also secured a meeting with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Minister Jo Churchill to put forward the case for Government support of the Bill, and has urged colleagues across the chamber to back it.
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The intervention comes amid increasing concerns in the MP's constituency, after plans for 7000 new homes near Edinburgh Airport were announced.
She said there are also concerns of ongoing pollution on St John’s Road and Corstorphine Road in the capital.
Ms Jardine was also inspired to launch the bill after her own mother died from an asbestos-related condition, caused by breathing in toxic fibres from the air.
An estimated 1 in 29 deaths in Edinburgh are caused by air pollution making the capital the worst affected city in Scotland while as many as 40,000 deaths in the UK each year are linked to air pollution.
Speaking ahead of the Bill's second reading, Ms Jardine said: “It is absolutely vital that all of us know what we are breathing in and can be confident that the air around us is clean and healthy. It can have catastrophic implications for our health if it is not.
“My family know how dangerous it can be if you don’t have that security – my mum died from an asbestos related condition because the air she was breathing in for years was polluted.
“And sadly, that’s not rare. I know from listening to my constituents how important an issue this is to them and their families.
"We must be doing all we can to ensure that our children are breathing in clean air. "
She said that "tens of thousands of deaths in the UK" were linked to air pollution every year, and cited Briths Heart Foundation research stating aroud 1 in 29 deaths in Edinburgh were linked to breathing dirty air.
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Ms Jardine added: "It is unacceptable that the UK’s clean air guidelines fall short of the global standard set out by the WHO.
"Of course the Government must take necessary steps to protect the air we all consume. That is why my Private Members’ Bill is so important to ensuring that the air we all breathe every day is cleaner and healthier.
“I look forward to bringing the Bill back to Parliament and putting forward the case for cleaner air. I would urge MPs of all parties to support these measures.”
Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine is bidding to make it law for the UK Government to put its clear air guidelines on par with those set out by the World Health Organization.
The Edinburgh West MP is pushing the second reading of her Clean Air Targets Bill (10th December) which would bring the UK’s clean air guidelines in line with the global standard of the WHO and force the UK Government to report annually to Parliament on that compliance.
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