The art installations were placed by activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) to highlight the devastating effects of toxic air pollution. A sign inside the buggy reads “more than 90% of the world’s children breathe toxic air every day”, a statistic published by the World Health Organisation in 2018. The sign also displays a QR code which can be scanned with a smartphone to take people to a petition asking all Dorset MPs to back the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill (CEE bill). https://www.change.org/Ask-All-Dorset-MPs-to-Support-the-CEE-Bill
The action is part of a wider UK campaign raising awareness about the CEE Bill, a new law written with contributions from prominent scientists and academics. If the CEE Bill is made law, it will ensure the government develops an emergency strategy to tackle the current climate crisis including air pollution.
The action comes in the wake of recent studies highlighting the severity of air pollution in the UK. Dr Nick Hopkinson, the medical director of the British Lung Foundation (BLF) estimates that between 30,000 and 40,000 premature deaths each year are caused by exposure to toxic air. UK scientists estimate air pollution cuts British people’s lives by an average of six months.
Researchers at the Cardiff University School of Medicine found babies in the most polluted areas of England and Wales had a 20 to 40 percent increased risk of death for babies aged up to one. The doctors also found a 20 to 40 percent increased risk of neonatal deaths – deaths that occur within 28 days of birth – in polluted areas.
In December, a landmark inquest recorded air pollution as a cause of a child’s death for the first time in the UK. The coroner said, during her entire lifetime Ella Kissi-Debrah who lived by a busy London road had been exposed to NO2 levels above legal limits, and this was a major contribution to the 9 year old’s death.
Kira Robinson from Weymouth said “as a mother of young children I fully support actions like this which highlight environmental issues. Air quality isn’t just an issue for the big cities. Pollution from road traffic on Boot Hill has been a real problem for many years. It affects the lives and health of residents and regular pedestrians along that route, many are our children on their way to school. Our MPs have a responsibility to protect the health of local people and they should be supporting new laws which safeguard our families”.
Chdieock, near Bridport is also well known for extremely high and illegal levels of NO2. (believed to be the highest in England). West Dorset MP Chris Loder recently stated that “The British Lung Foundation have echoed to me the damaging effects of high levels of exhaust pollution and this must be a much higher priority in my opinion”.
Emma Smart from Extinction Rebellion said “We are asking all five of our Dorset MPs to support this vital bill, to direct the government to protect us from climate catastrophe now and in the future. It’s not just air pollution, coastal Dorset is becoming extremely vulnerable to flooding as a result of climate change.”
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