Change energy use to reduce pollution and protect our health | Air pollution

The European Code Against Cancer is right to place air pollution firmly on the policy agenda, as your report highlights (Tackling air pollution should be part of government work to cut cancer rates, scientists say, 6 March). But buying air filters and limiting wood burning at home aren’t solving the issue at its root. If governments are serious about mitigating climate-related health issues, they need to tackle the problem at its source: energy.

Energy accounts for more than three-quarters of total greenhouse gas emissions globally. That matters not only for the climate, but for the air we breathe. The fossil fuels that power much of today’s energy system release harmful pollutants such as fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides when they are burned. The way we produce and use energy is a major driver of both climate change and harmful air pollution. Addressing both requires fundamentally rethinking energy systems.

Your article cites the increase of wood burning in homes as a cause for concern, but this is uneven across countries and seasonal. Reducing emissions is not only about shifting to cleaner energy sources, but changing how energy is used. Technology (such as heat pumps and energy management solutions) already exists to help us reduce emissions and improve air quality.

On a larger scale, measures such as electrifying end uses, particularly in energy-intensive sectors such as industry, transport and building, can deliver significant emissions reductions while rapidly reducing dependence on fossil fuels and related air pollutants.

Improving air quality therefore requires more than tightening pollution standards or individual behaviour changes. It requires accelerating the transition to cleaner, efficient energy systems.
Frédéric Godemel
Schneider Electric, Grenoble, France

As a campaigner for clean air in schools, the new European Code Against Cancer including a call for politicians to tackle air pollution is hugely welcomed. We are greatly encouraged to see that schools are mentioned, as children spend most of their day in classrooms and are particularly vulnerable to the harms of poor air quality.

The code specifically advises that new schools shouldn’t be located next to busy roads and existing schools near roads should be incentivised to use air filters. Most schools are already located in areas where PM2.5 levels (the fine particulate matter that is linked to several cancers and respiratory diseases) exceed the recommendations of the World Health Organization.Installing air filters in schools is a cost-effective solution that will remove harmful particulates from the air and also remove the pathogens that cause illness. A recent study of the impact of installing air filters in schools in Milan demonstrated that the intervention decreases student absenteeism by more than 10%

Clean indoor air also increases concentration and working memory. A study involving 100 schools in the US showed measurable progress in maths and reading (assessed through standardised tests) when improving indoor air quality in the classrooms. These conclusions are confirmed by a big cohort study performed on more than 8,000 children in the UK.

The new code’s policy recommendation of adding portable air filters is simple to act on and will save money very quickly. For less than a tenner per child per year, the government would ensure that children at school have the same right to breathe clean air as they do to drink clean water.
Ruth Brooker
Clean Air for Kids, Bristol