AIR QUALITY MATTERS

City of London

 

Reference monitors
The following three charts derive from data measured by reference monitors.  This high quality data is "ratified" up to the end of 2023.  Its sources are London Air and Air Quality England.  The charts indicate that, concentrations of nitrogen dioxide ("NO2") have greatly decreased since towards the end of last decade.  That decWrease seems to be conitnuing, but concentrations exceed the World Health Organisation ("WHO") guideline by a factor of between two and five.  At one location, concentrations exceed the - -dysfunctional - UK legal limit.  The LEZ, ULEZ and efforts by the City of London will have contributed to the improvements.  Concentrations of particulate matter ("PM10" and "PM2.5") have also considerably decreased.  Those for PM10 now match those of the World Health Organisation ("WHO") guideline for PM10.  Those for PM2.5 are currently roughly double the WHO guideline for PM2.5.  

Diffusion tubes
The following charts show how the annual average concentration of NO2 has changed since 2016 or 2017 at sites being monitored long-term using difusion tubes in the City of London.  The tables between the charts indicate the location of the sites shown by (the local authority's) code numbers.  This information derives from the local authority's Air Quality Annual Status Reports (as at the end of June 2024).

The data shown includes estimates where the source data is either missing or likely to be erroneous.  The data shown is "raw" - it has not been "adjusted for bias". Assuming no bias, annual average concentrations  have declined substantially since early 2020 - but at several locations, identified in the charts below, they continue to exceed the UK legal limit.  That limit is four times greater than the World Health Organisation guideline (which is based on seveal more recent years of evidence and research). At almost all locations monitored, average concentrations during 2023 were at least three times greater than the WHO guideline.  The recent trend is - at most locations - slowly towards lower concentrations.  From the air quality point of view, not a good place to work, visit or live - but perhaps better than in the central business districts of most other capital cities.

 

 

 




 Nitrogen dioxide emissions tend to be associated primarily with combustion - along with carbon dioxide.  As such these charts indicate that progress to Net Zero is lagging behind where it should be.
The following chart does not take into account the emissions associated with projects, businesses, etc. outside the City of London which receive services from businesses in the City (or of travelling to the City).  The chart indicates that, since the begining of 2020, progress towards Net Zero has stalled / is not being taken seriously (most notably by central government, which continues to support the burning of wood / and methane in power stations).  However, the source of the data was published 18 months after the end of the most recent year shown - despite an obvious need to audit progress at intervals of at most six months given the Climate Emergency.
For further information, please contact:
 info@airqualitymatters.uk
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