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A national plan for "low emission zones" to tackle heavily polluting vehicles, like the one
in London.
Changes to fuel duty to encourage low nitrogen dioxide vehicles as well as low carbon
dioxide.
Financial incentives for alternative fuels.
Encourage walking and cycling as the "ultimate low emission" option
Dr Ian Mudway, a lecturer in respiratory toxicology at King's College London, told
the BBC: "The evidence is there. The 29,000 figure is very solid, so really it is a case of
acting.
"But it is a strange one, because it's their third [report] in five years and it is an
attempt to get the government to do anything."
The British Lung Foundation said the recommendations "may seem drastic", but air
pollution was so bad they were necessary "to protect the nation's health".
"Our dirty air will simply not clean itself, and this issue is one that will, without the
government's intervention, continue to impact on current and future generations," said Dr
Penny Woods, the charity's chief executive.
Asthma UK said air pollution increased the risk of a life-threatening attack and
"urgent and concerted action" was needed to bring pollution levels down.
Chief executive Kay Boycott said: "In the short term some of the measures
recommended in this report, such as the publicising of high air pollution forecasts, could
help people with asthma know in advance if they should seek advice from their GP or
asthma nurse."
Simon Gillespie, the chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said: "The
government cannot continue to ignore this issue.
"Enough is enough. The government must act on these recommendations quickly if
we are to improve the quality of the air we breathe and protect the nation's heart health."
A government spokesperson said there would be a full response to the report in the
future, but added: "Clean air is vital for people's health and, while air quality has improved
significantly in recent decades, we are investing heavily in measures across government to
continue this, committing 2bn since 2011 in green transport initiatives."
SOURCE: British Broadcasting Corporation (www.bbc.co.uk)