Air pollution: Hidden in plain sight is ignored by political leaders due to short-sightedness and lack of vision
Over the past few months, the world has seen brutal heat waves and extremely high temperatures around the globe. In Europe, a series of heat domes caused by high-pressure anticyclones brought record-breaking temperatures to several countries, such as Greece, Spain, and Italy. A heatwave in July affected parts of California, Nevada, and Arizona in the US, where temperatures soared above 43 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) for several days in a row. In Asia, China experienced its worst heatwave in decades in July, with temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.
“We are damned fools," said the godfather of modern climate science, James Hansen, a few days ago. Given what's happening on our scorched planet right now, it's hard to disagree with him.
Meanwhile, presumably to prove Hansen's assertion, the leaders of the Tories and Labour political parties in the UK are considering withdrawing their support for green policies only because a few hundred people voted against clean air policies in a by-election in a Greater London borough.
Words fail me. The inability of our political leaders to look beyond the latest news cycle and immediate political gains is dangerous. The consequences of their shortsightedness could be devastating for future generations and the planet as a whole. Air pollution and climate change are two sides of the same coin. By lowering the concentration of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) such as black carbon, methane, and ozone, which are more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the planet, we protect the climate. Reducing SLCPs can also prevent millions of premature deaths and crop losses every year.
The Green Party is the only political party in England that supports the ULEZ expansion as a necessary step to tackle the climate and health crises caused by air pollution. Their endorsement of the ULEZ expansion and Clean Air is beyond exemplary.
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