Complete list of press releases

Today, with a bipartisan vote, the United States Senate confirmed Representative Deb Haaland to lead the Department of the Interior.

“The Senate’s confirmation of Deb Haaland carries enormous meaning for this country. As the first Native American Cabinet Secretary, Secretary Haaland leads the agency responsible for stewarding public lands, protecting fish and wildlife, and fulfilling the nation’s trust responsibility to sovereign tribes. A Native American Interior Secretary is long overdue, and Deb Haaland is extraordinarily well-suited for the role.

“Her selection also reflects the Biden administration’s strong commitment to taking bold action to address the climate crisis. As a Member of Congress, Rep. Haaland was a leading advocate for the health of her constituents in New Mexico, including supporting rules to cut methane waste and pollution from oil and gas production facilities and policies that advance environmental justice. Under her stewardship, the Department of the Interior will have an important role in tackling methane emissions on public and tribal lands and ensuring our nation’s resources serve the public.

“Secretary Haaland will also have an important opportunity to address water challenges in the arid West and support rural economies in ways that also strengthen ecosystem resilience.

“As environmental advocates — and as people who acknowledge the United States’ painful legacy of exploiting its Indigenous peoples and their lands — we are grateful to have a leader like Deb Haaland in a position to build a better future for all of us. We look forward to working with Secretary Haaland as she takes on the critically important challenges we face.”

• Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund

(Santa Fe, NM – March 12, 2021) Today, New Mexico Senators passed Senate Bill 8, a critical bill that would empower environmental regulators in New Mexico to strengthen health and climate protections by curbing toxic air pollutants, slashing dangerous climate emissions, safeguarding drinking water from pollution and strengthening cleanup standards. The bill would undo antiquated state laws that prevent the state’s Environmental Improvement Board and local air quality boards from adopting regulations stronger than the federal government.

“Senate Bill 8 is vital legislation that empowers New Mexicans to make decisions about the health, clean air and water of the people of New Mexico. Thank you to Majority Leader Wirth and Senator Lopez for championing this legislation and to the New Mexico Senate for approval of this important bill.”

• Jon Goldstein, Director of Regulatory & Legislative Affairs at EDF

Read this fact sheet to learn more about the bill.

• Young ‘Choked Up’ activists who live near polluted roads set up guerrilla campaign of road signs in pollution hotspots such as Tower Hamlets, Lewisham and Brixton warning that “breathing kills.” 
• A joint letter signed by around 100 NHS medics in London today supports the call for action to reduce air pollution, organised by Medact. 
• New research shows that NO₂ pollution is on average 24-31% higher in areas where people from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds are most likely to live.
• The research also reveals the most deprived Londoners are over six times more likely to live in areas with higher pollution than the least deprived.
• Call for London mayoral candidates to commit to address pollution inequity and to transform some of the busiest roads in the capital.

(LONDON, UK) A group of Black and brown teens called ‘Choked Up’ have installed ‘hacked’ road signs across London, highlighting air pollution and its disproportionate impact on people of colour and deprived communities. The signs, which read “POLLUTION ZONE” and warn that “Breathing Kills,” have been installed in a guerilla campaign in areas of toxic and harmful air pollution including Whitechapel, Catford and Brixton.

The signs coincide with new research released today by Environmental Defense Fund Europe (EDF Europe) using modelled NO₂ data produced by Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants as part of the Breathe London pilot project showing the burden of London’s air pollution is not equal. EDF Europe’s analysis found that modelled NO₂ pollution is on average 24-31% higher in areas where people from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds are most likely to live, compared to areas where white people are most likely to live.¹ Additionally, the most deprived Londoners are over six times more likely to live in areas with higher pollution than the least deprived.²

The campaign is organised by Choked Up, a youth organisation set up by Black and brown teenagers who live along highly polluted roads in South London. They are most concerned about the lack of sufficient action, care or intervention on air pollution. After the recent inquest into Ella Kissi-Debrah’s death showed toxic air directly contributed to her death, Choked Up are fighting to ensure that this never happens again. 

Anjali Raman-Middleton, a 17 year- old co-founder of Choked Up: “The landmark ruling of the Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah inquest proved that the road I live less than five minutes from can kill. I am terrified that my daily commute to school along the South Circular has already had a negative impact on my lungs. I urge London mayoral candidates to commit to transform these roads to give me and my generation a greener future.”

Health professionals join the call for action

A group of around 100 London health professionals who work in the NHS have backed the call for action with a letter warning that air pollution is having a “devastating impact” on health, particularly with various communities of colour and those from deprived backgrounds. Ahead of the London mayoral elections in May, the joint letter asks candidates to commit to tackle air pollution inequalities and develop an “urgent action plan to…reduce our dependence on cars.”³

The letter was coordinated by Medact, a coalition of health professionals campaigning on health inequalities particularly linked to the environment. 

Dr LJ Smith, Respiratory Consultant at King’s College Hospital, representing Medact said: “The levels of air pollution across the capital are nothing short of a public health emergency. There are far too many people in our hospital wards and clinics who might otherwise be healthy if it wasn’t for the toxic air they breathe. 

Air pollution affects every single one of us from birth to old age, but we know the least well off and marginalised communities, including those from Black and Asian backgrounds are being hardest hit. If we are serious about tackling health inequalities in our capital city, we need to urgently address the air pollution crisis. We are emerging now from one of the worst health crises this country has ever faced and are now sleep-walking right into another one. Action we take today will have immediate benefits. This can’t wait.”

Air pollution takes a huge toll on the health of Londoners, with an estimated 4,000 of the capital’s residents dying prematurely in 2019 from air pollution.⁴ Studies show living with dirty air also increases the risk of heart disease and heart attacks, as well as stunts lung growth in children.⁵

But the health impact of air pollution is not evenly felt. In Tower Hamlets, for example, air pollution is among the worst in London, and asthma hospital admissions for young children are 42% higher than the England average.⁶

Call for next London Mayor to transform the Red Routes

The hacked signs have been placed on the capital’s Red Routes network, which was established in the early 1990’s to improve traffic flow across the city and is currently under the Mayor’s control. These major roads account for around 5% of London’s roads but carry up to a third of London’s traffic on an average day. The Red Routes network has led to an unequal health burden in the city with Londoners living, working, and going to school near these roads breathing higher and often illegal levels of air pollution. 

New analysis by EDF Europe using modelled NO2 and PM2.5 data produced by CERC as part of the Breathe London pilot project shows that NO₂ pollution levels on Red Routes are 57% higher than an average road and PM_2.5 levels are 35% higher.⁷ They will likely be some of the last areas in the UK to meet legal NO₂ pollution limits, which should have been met over a decade ago - in 2010. Tyre and brake wear from vehicles is also a dominant local source of PM_2.5, of which many parts of London do not meet safe and healthy levels set by the World Health Organization (WHO).⁸Campaigners are urgently questioning how the Red Routes fit with a cleaner and greener London as the city recovers from the pandemic. They are calling on mayoral candidates to reduce health inequities by committing to transform these roads, which will demand a fresh approach to freight and firm targets to reduce car use in the capital. Rethinking the Red Routes will require a world class walking and cycling network, as well as affordable and accessible zero-emission public transport. 

Oliver Lord, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Environmental Defense Fund Europe, said: 

“Like the COVID-19 pandemic, air pollution is disproportionately impacting marginalised communities and Black, Asian and minority ethnic people. It’s clear London’s busy roads are a root cause of health inequities and air pollution levels are a major contributor. 

For years, the major ‘Red Routes’ have been a toxic thread running through our communities, polluting the doorsteps of homes and kids’ playgrounds. We need a green recovery that undoes decades of damage, using a clear traffic reduction plan – one where polluting trucks can no longer cut across the city and parking for cars becomes parks for people. As we approach the mayoral elections we are asking candidates to commit to transform the Red Routes road network, putting people’s health and our climate first. 

We are calling on all of the London mayoral candidates to make three bold manifesto commitments for a cleaner, brighter London: rethink the harmful Red Routes, expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone and deliver a zero-emission bus fleet this decade.” 

The campaign is also backed by Mums for Lungs, a group of parent campaigners on air pollution.

Jemima Hartshorn, a parent who lives in Herne Hill and is part of the Mums for Lungs group, said: “The street signs are hard hitting because we want people to take notice of the huge damage being done to their health by air pollution. It is crucial that the message is heeded by politicians that if we do not take action on air inequality there will be more and more hospital admission and sadly more needless deaths of children.”

NO₂ pollution forms when fossil fuels such as coal, oil, gas or diesel are burned at high temperatures. It can cause reduced lung function in children, trigger asthma attacks and hospital admissions for children. Recent studies have linked the pollutant to lung cancer, cardiovascular harm, lower birth weight in newborns and increased risk of premature death.⁹

PM_2.5 pollution refers to very fine particulates - with a size generally less than 2.5 micrometres (µm). It is contained in pollution from petrol and diesel vehicles as well as woodsmoke and industry. This microscopic material when breathed in can penetrate deep into the lungs and can then be absorbed into the bloodstream. This form of pollution is associated with health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer as well as diabetes and dementia. High levels of PM_2.5 pollution can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and other serious medical emergencies, and has a long term impact on lung function particularly in children.¹⁰

Reports indicate that the Environmental Protection Agency will be moving forward the long-delayed assessment of formaldehyde by the agency’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). IRIS chemical assessments are the gold standard in identifying and characterizing chemical hazards resulting from chronic exposure. While a draft of the assessment was ready years ago for review, political appointees under the Trump administration first suppressed and then tried to kill off the study, as part of a longstanding effort by the chemical industry to block findings about the dangers of formaldehyde. 

“We welcome the news that the IRIS formaldehyde assessment will again move forward after languishing for years under the previous administration. By taking this step, it is clear that the Biden EPA is wasting no time in restoring scientific integrity at the agency and enabling the IRIS program to do its job, which is critical to protect public health from dangerous chemicals,” said Dr. Jennifer McPartland, Senior Health Scientist at Environmental Defense Fund.

Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen associated with nasopharyngeal cancer and leukemia. There are many sources of the chemical, including certain building materials, insulation and personal care products, and it is also used to make other chemicals. For most Americans, the main pathway of formaldehyde exposure is through inhaling the chemical. 

Peer review of the assessment by the National Academies will be a key step in completing the assessment. The National Academies has been at the ready since 2017 when EPA contracted with them to conduct the review.

Formaldehyde is among the chemicals currently undergoing risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). It is vital that EPA promptly finalize the IRIS formaldehyde assessment and use it to inform the TSCA risk evaluation. 

For additional background on the assessment and its history, see:

• EDF Blog: The Trump EPA’s actions on formaldehyde can be summed up in one word: Corrupt
• EDF Blog: GAO affirms the Trump EPA’s political manipulation of the IRIS formaldehyde assessment

A group of 5 community organizations and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer – who are parties to the National Grid Downstate rate case – today announced they are leaving the settlement process. National Grid, the gas utility serving Brooklyn, Long Island and Staten Island, has a pending rate case before the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) – ongoing since April 2019 without resolution. During this time, the utility has guided many of its investments and programs according to a 2016 rate settlement, predating New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 that requires a statewide 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

“Environmental Defense Fund respects the decision of community organizations to withdraw from the settlement discussions. The Commission and National Grid must achieve a timely resolution of the Downstate rate case that aligns with the state’s climate law and protects New York’s communities and economy from the dangers of climate change.”

• Erin Murphy, Attorney, Energy Markets & Utility Regulation

Today Representative Sean Casten (D-IL) re-introduced the Tradable Performance Standard Act, a bill that will significantly cut carbon pollution in the electric and industrial sectors.

This bill sets a carbon intensity standard that power generators and industrial facilities need to either meet themselves or meet by paying another facility to further decrease its own emissions. The legislation is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from those sectors by 60% from 2019 levels by 2030 and 100% by 2040.

“Curbing climate pollution from the electric and industrial sectors is essential to tackling the climate crisis because these two sectors emit almost half of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Rep. Casten’s innovative proposal will not only cut climate pollution from these sectors, it will help spur investment in clean energy jobs and reduce harmful air pollution. Importantly, this bill should be complemented by strong legislation that ensures protections for communities of color and low-income communities, and curbs air and climate pollution in these and other major emitting sectors including transportation.

“We are encouraged by Rep. Casten’s continued commitment to advancing clean energy, and we hope this bill will embolden other Members of Congress to craft ambitious climate solutions that benefit our economy and our health.”

• Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President, Political Affairs, Environmental Defense Fund.

A new poll released today by Black Millennials for Flint, BlueGreen Alliance, and Environmental Defense Fund reveals voters strongly support funding the replacement of lead pipes in water systems across the country. Further, regardless of political party, region, type of community, age, or racial and ethnic group, an overwhelming majority of voters cited concern over the issue of lead pipes in the US. 

Base voters in both parties back investing in our country by funding this work. The national poll found that four in five voters (80%) support funding replacement of lead pipes, including 74% of Trump 2020 voters and 85% of Biden 2020 voters. Overall, 75% of Republican voters, 77% of Independent voters, and 84% of Democratic voters expressed support for the policy. This strong support also held true for different regions of the US and regardless of whether the voter was in a city, suburb, or rural area. 

“America is experiencing a multi-generational lead crisis. While lead poisoning disproportionately impacts BIPOC communities such as Flint, MI, all people are at risk of lead exposure in our drinking water. Our country has spoken—it is time to prioritize funding the replacement of lead pipes in our water systems. In the words of our great ancestor Fannie Lou Hamer, ‘We’re sick and tired of being sick and tired.’ Water is life and we simply cannot wait. Our policymakers and legislators must act now.” – LaTricea Adams, Founder Chief Executive Officer and President of Black Millennials for Flint. 

“Every person in our country deserves safe, healthy drinking water. Yet, for far too long, too little has been done to replace the lead service lines that bring water into millions of homes in the United States. This toxic hazard continues to plague communities—and disproportionally low-income communities and communities of color—across the nation. Eliminating the sources of lead exposure in our water systems will improve the health of these communities while creating good jobs and boosting local economies across the country. We cannot afford to wait any longer; it is crucial that Congress and the Biden administration act now to address this issue.” – Jason Walsh, BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director.

“There are few issues today that voters across the political spectrum seem to agree on, but this poll shows that funding lead pipe replacement is definitely one of them. Funding replacement of the lead pipes that provide drinking water to US homes will significantly protect health, reduce health disparities, and upgrade water infrastructure – and it is overwhelmingly supported by voters in the country. It’s past time for Congress to act.” – Tom Neltner, EDF Chemicals Policy Director.

The poll found:

• Lead pipes are a top concern: 81% of voters (76% Republican, 81% Independent, and 86% Democratic) report lead pipes in the US as a very concerning or somewhat concerning issue.
• Over 3/4 (79%) of voters believe it should be a priority for lawmakers to fund lead pipe replacement. This includes 71% of Republican voters, 85% of Democratic voters, and 79% of Independent voters. 

The online survey was conducted by Morning Consult between February 23 and 26 among a national sample of 1,996 registered voters, with the goal of measuring support for lead pipe replacement.

Additional information:

• EDF: The benefits of lead pipe replacement funding
• BGA: Water Works: The Job Creation Potential of Repairing America’s Water Infrastructure

Today, by a bipartisan vote of 66 to 34, the United States Senate confirmed Michael Regan as the 16th Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“The confirmation of Michael Regan marks an important milestone for the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to confront the climate crisis, tackle environmental injustice and create healthier communities. Michael Regan is a strong leader with a proven track record of working collaboratively to build durable policies that promote clean air and water alongside a strong economy that creates good jobs for all Americans.

“I had the privilege of working with Michael Regan when he was an Environmental Defense Fund staffer from 2008 to 2016. He had a rare ability to find common ground with unexpected allies to achieve environmental progress. He will draw on that talent now, as he faces a long list of important tasks including ensuring that science, law and a commitment to a healthier future will be at the center of U.S. environmental policy. And as he did in North Carolina, I know he will work quickly to restore morale and achieve real results. His expertise, integrity, and optimism are exactly what we need to face the tough challenges ahead.”

• Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Washington, D.C. – March 10, 2021) Today, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced an ambitious bill that would significantly cut climate pollution across the economy while investing in mitigation, adaptation and the economic well-being of communities across the country.

By enacting a fee on carbon emissions across the economy, along with clear emission reduction goals and provisions to help make sure those goals are met, this bill would significantly curb climate pollution, while giving most of the revenue back to Americans through an income-based rebate that protects lower-income and middle-income households.

The America’s Clean Future Fund Act would also create the Climate Change Finance Corporation, an independent federal agency tasked with providing resources to finance clean energy, climate resilience, and other climate mitigation and adaptation projects. These projects would have a focus on increasing equity by ensuring a significant amount of the funds go to environmental justice communities. The bill also establishes grants for agricultural stakeholders to adopt carbon-reduction practices as well as grants for transition assistance in fossil-reliant areas.

“The costs of climate change only climb higher with every year that we delay strong action. Investing today to cut climate pollution and create more resilient communities is fiscally responsible and creates good jobs and a healthier society. The America’s Clean Future Fund Act tackles these challenges head on, and works to assure that the transition to a clean energy future benefits everyone. This bill rightly seeks to prioritize funding for environmental justice communities and transition assistance for areas reliant on fossil fuel production. It also recognizes the important role that rural communities and the agriculture sector can play in a cleaner future.

“EDF commends Senator Durbin’s leadership in introducing the America’s Clean Future Fund Act, a sound and thoughtful proposal to address climate change that invests in building stronger, more resilient American communities.”

• Elizabeth Gore, EDF Senior Vice President, Political Affairs.

(RALEIGH, NC — March 10, 2021) North Carolina’s Clean Energy Plan (CEP), an outcome of Gov. Roy Cooper’s Executive Order 80, set electricity sector targets to reduce carbon pollution by 70% below 2005 levels by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050. One recommendation from the CEP included a year-long study of options for how the state’s power sector might achieve these targets. The results of that study were released today by the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and the UNC Center for Climate, Energy, Environment and Economics, cataloguing a number of considerations, including an analysis of how joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) would advance the state toward its carbon pollution reduction goals.

RGGI is a collaboration of 10 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states working together to reduce climate pollution. RGGI places a declining limit and a cost on carbon emissions from the power sector, and offers a flexible framework to reduce emissions at low costs and address the unique needs of the state’s communities. Many businesses, environmental groups, and the public support placing a limit on carbon as a necessary and effective way to address climate pollution from electricity generation.

“By placing a declining limit on carbon emissions from the power sector through RGGI, North Carolina can guarantee that emissions fall on a timeline consistent with the state’s climate goals,” said Drew Stilson, Senior Analyst for U.S. Climate Policy at EDF. “RGGI is designed with the flexibility to implement it in a way that makes the most sense for the state’s unique needs, and it’s highly compatible with a variety of other complementary clean energy policies in order to maximize the environmental and economic benefits for North Carolina.”

As shown in the Nicholas Institute’s analysis, combining other policies — such as accelerating coal retirements and establishing a clean energy standard — with RGGI can further improve the cost-effectiveness of reducing carbon pollution by creating additional savings for ratepayers, while guaranteeing that the state will achieve its pollution reduction targets.

With the flexibility RGGI allows, North Carolina can ensure that proceeds from the program are directed to help the state’s frontline communities most overburdened by air pollution. The state should work hand-in-hand with these communities to drive investments toward safety, health and equity, and ensure that RGGI is designed in a way to help accelerate reductions in harmful local pollution in communities most burdened by health and environmental impacts.

For example, proceeds from the RGGI program might include expanding air quality monitoring in overburdened areas, providing energy bill assistance for households with lower incomes, and creating jobs and economic opportunities through investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency in underserved communities. Additionally, the study found that RGGI, paired with investments in energy efficiency, would create over 47,000 job-years and increase GSP by $4.9 billion over the study period.

“The evidence presented in the Clean Energy Plan is clear: North Carolina can make critical progress on its climate goals by joining RGGI,” said David Kelly, Senior Manager for North Carolina Political Affairs at EDF. “Governor Cooper should act on these strong findings to move the state toward a clean energy future, while seizing meaningful opportunities to improve health and equity across the state.”

• As pupils return to school this week, new warning about the risk of higher levels of pollution at primary schools located near major roads.
• Data from a new study by Environmental Defense Fund Europe shows that 47,500 primary school children are at schools close to London’s major roads with dangerous levels of air pollution - which can stunt children’s lung growth.
• New poster launched with giant artificial lungs that will go grey as pollution levels rise. Campaign organised by parent group Mums for Lungs & Choked Up, a youth campaigning group.
• Call for Mayoral candidates to commit ahead of elections on 6 May to safeguard the expansion of the ULEZ and to transform the Red Routes. 
• In some areas of the capital, as many as 1 in 5 primary schools are by major roads, where children breathe NO_x pollution levels that are on average 25% higher than primary schools not by major roads.

With primary school children returning to classrooms this week, campaigners are warning that thousands of children are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution because their schools are located close to a major road. 

New research released today by Environmental Defense Fund Europe (EDF Europe) shows that in London alone, 47,500 children attend state primary schools which are located within 100m of the city’s Red Routes¹ - a network of major roads controlled by the Mayor of London. 

Major roads are responsible for huge health impacts in London, with people near these roads breathing levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) that are 57% higher and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) that are 35% higher than an average road in London.²

The research has led to calls from a coalition of environmental campaigners ahead of the mayoral elections in London for all candidates to commit to safeguard the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone and to transform the Red Routes. 

The campaign is headed by Mums for Lungs, a group of parent campaigners that was started by campaigners living near polluted roads in South London, and ‘Choked Up’ a youth group of Black and brown teenagers that campaigns on air pollution. 

David Nicholson, a parent who lives in Putney and is part of the Mums for Lungs group, said:

“As a dad, being next to the exhaust of a diesel vehicle feels like a stranger you’ve never met before forcing your family to smoke a packet of cigarettes. That’s why I think the next Mayor of London must commit to make our air healthier to breathe. 

“Driving a diesel in cities means everyone outside your car or van has to inhale your toxic exhaust as you drive. I think it’s time to stop burning fossils, dump the pistons and stinky exhausts and embrace the future by switching to clean electric cars or bikes. Everyone needs clean air to breathe, including me and my family.”

Nyeleti Brauer-Maxaeia, a 17 year-old co-founder of Choked Up: “We took action so that lawmakers, decision makers and politicians finally take this climate and air quality crisis seriously, for everyone’s sake. The next Mayor of London needs to expand the ULEZ and rethink TFL’s Red Routes so make sure everyone in the city can breathe clean air.”

The initiative is supported by scientists at EDF Europe, an international charity, and Medact, a coalition of health professionals campaigning on health inequalities particularly linked to the environment. 

Oliver Lord, Head of Policy and Campaigns at EDF Europe, said: “Kids in London have been breathing illegal levels of air pollution for far too long, and not just in the city centre. Exposure to air pollution at a young age can irreversibly stunt children’s lungs and create health problems for the rest of their lives.

Just last week, the UK Government were found – again – to have failed their legal duties to meet safer and healthier limits for the toxic gas nitrogen dioxide.³ Expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone is fundamental to cleaning up vehicles on busy roads like the Red Routes and helping to solve our air pollution crisis in the shortest possible time. The ULEZ dramatically reduced air pollution in central London,⁴ where people mostly work, and our analysis found benefits on roads along the boundary and beyond. We must build on this progress by expanding the ULEZ to include more people’s homes, local high streets and schools.”

The groups have launched a major poster installation in the shape of a pair of giant, artificial lungs which will change colour from white to grey as air pollution increases, reflecting the impact on respiratory health. The lungs will be launched on Upper Richmond Road, a Red Route, near to Putney High Street, which continues to breach legal limits for NO₂ air pollution. It borders the planned expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone on 25 October 2021.

Just last week (3 March) London experienced a particulate matter episode. These higher pollution episodes can trigger hospitalisations for serious medical conditions. Also last week (4 March), the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) ruled that the UK has persistently broken legal limits on air pollution for a decade, with levels of NO₂ illegally high in 75% of towns and cities.⁵ 

The lungs are the first in a series of interventions planned ahead of the mayoral elections intended to raise awareness of the ongoing risks of air pollution. An estimated 4,000 Londoners die prematurely every year as a result of the health impacts of air pollution.⁶ 

Living near busy roads in London may stunt lung growth in children by 12.5% and can increase adult’s risk of coronary heart disease by 6.3%.⁷

Recent research from EDF Europe also found:⁸

• In some areas of the capital, such as Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth and Tower Hamlets, as many as 1 in 5 primary schools are by major roads, where children breathe high pollution levels. (see Figure 1) 
• Children at primary schools near Red Routes are exposed to 25% higher levels of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) than primary schools not near Red Routes.
• Average NOx levels at schools with pupils attending from the most deprived areas were 27% higher than those at schools with pupils attending from the least deprived areas. 
• Schools with the highest percentage of non-white pupils have average NOx levels that are 28% higher than schools with the lowest proportion of students from BAME backgrounds.

The Mayor of London’s Red Routes network, managed by Transport for London, accounts for around 5% of London’s roads but carries up to a third of London’s traffic on an average day.⁹ These major roads will likely be some of the last areas in the UK to meet legal air pollution limits, which should have been met over a decade ago - in 2010.

Health Impacts

NO₂ pollution forms when fossil fuels such as coal, oil, gas or diesel are burned at high temperatures. It can cause reduced lung function in children, trigger asthma attacks and hospital admissions for children. Recent studies have linked the pollutant to lung cancer, cardiovascular harm, lower birth weight in newborns and increased risk of premature death. NO₂ also forms chemically in the atmosphere from nitric oxide (NO) which is also produced by fossil fuel combustion. NO₂ and NO are collectively known as NO_x.PM_2.5 pollution refers to very fine particulates, with a size generally less than 2.5 micrometres (µm). It is contained in pollution from petrol and diesel vehicles as well as woodsmoke and industry. This microscopic material when breathed in can penetrate deep into the lungs and absorbed into the bloodstream. PM_2.5 pollution is associated with health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer as well as diabetes and dementia. High levels of PM_2.5 pollution can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and other serious medical emergencies, and has a long term impact on lung function particularly in children. 

(Washington, D.C. – March 4, 2021) Air pollution standards that ensure all new heavy-duty trucks and buses sold for urban and community use are zero-emitting by 2035, and all such vehicles sold are zero-emission by 2040, would have substantial benefits, according to a new report by Environmental Defense Fund.

Those standards would save a cumulative total of more than 57,000 lives, slash the amount of climate pollution and smog in our air, create jobs, and produce almost half a trillion dollars in health benefits by mid-century.

“Getting clean freight trucks on our roads is one of the most important things we can do to protect our health, climate and economy,” said Peter Zalzal, EDF’s senior director for transportation. “A rapid-transition to zero-emitting freight trucks and buses will reduce dangerous air pollution – pollution that disproportionately burdens lower income neighborhoods and communities of color. Clean trucks are also essential to meet our nation’s climate goals and create good-paying American jobs.”

The report, Clean Trucks, Clean Air, American Jobs, analyzes the effects of eliminating tailpipe pollution from medium and heavy-duty vehicles – including buses, semis and other long-haul trucks, and the “last-mile” trucks that deliver packages to American homes.

The report found that eliminating that pollution in freight trucks used in urban and community areas by 2035, and eliminating pollution from all new freight trucks and buses by 2040, would provide sweeping benefits:

• It will prevent a sum total of more than 57,000 premature deaths by 2050.
• It will eliminate a sum total of more than 4.7 billion metric tons of climate pollution by 2050.
• It will significantly reduce two main components of smog – nitrogen oxides pollution by a sum total of more than 10 million tons by 2050, and particulate pollution by a sum total of almost 200,000 tons by 2050.
• It will save $485 billion in health and environmental benefits alone as a result of pollution reductions.

Heavy-duty trucks and buses are a major source of the unhealthy air pollution that puts all Americans at risk, with the health burden disproportionately impacting people of color and lower income families. More than 20,000 Americans die prematurely each year as a result of motor vehicle pollution on our roads and highways. Heavy-duty trucks and buses are only about four percent of all vehicles on our roads, but they are the largest contributor to oxides of nitrogen pollution and particulate pollution of all highway vehicles. People who live closest to our nation’s roads, highways, ports, freight depots and distribution centers face the greatest health risks from that pollution.

America’s heavy-duty trucks and buses are also responsible for more than 420 million tons of climate pollution each year – more than the entire country of Australia.

Passenger cars have been leading the way for zero emission technologies, but momentum is quickly building for a transition to clean trucks in the medium and heavy-duty sector. The Biden campaign set a goal that all new buses be zero emissions by 2030, and major truck manufacturers including Daimler, Volvo, Cummins, General Motors, and Ford are investing in clean technologies and setting targets to eliminate tailpipe pollution by mid-century. Large shipping companies, including Walmart, Amazon and Ikea, have started switching their fleets to zero-emission freight trucks. Another recent report, which EDF commissioned from MJ Bradley and Associates, documents the market trends towards zero-emitting freight trucks and buses.

You can read Clean Trucks, Clean Air, American Jobs here.

(WASHINGTON—March 3, 2021) A new report from Environmental Defense Fund shows that the Biden administration can put forward an ambitious and credible Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement that cuts total net greenhouse gas emissions at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030. This new NDC, which is consistent with the latest science and commitments from other advanced economies, can be achieved with all-in action, including from the Biden administration and Congress.

The report presents a range of analyses from different sources, including the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland, America’s Pledge, and two EDF analyses, one of which is based on modeling by Rhodium Group. All demonstrate how the U.S. can reach at least a 50% target through a strong whole-of-government approach, including advancing a suite of robust climate and clean air protections under existing law; making significant investments in the clean power and transportation sectors through economic recovery legislation; federal investment in innovation and deployment of promising emerging technologies; enacting new legislation that limits pollution from the power sector, such as a clean electricity standard; and expanded state, local and businesses action. Designed well, these policies can not only help us meet our climate goals, they can make critically needed progress to promote equity and improve health outcomes for frontline and pollution overburdened communities.

“Bold U.S. climate leadership is critical to getting the world on the path to climate safety,” said Nathaniel Keohane, Senior Vice President for Climate at EDF. “The U.S. federal government has been on the sidelines for four years, and now the Biden administration must put America’s best foot forward with an ambitious and credible target that cuts emissions in half by 2030. This level of ambition is vital for restoring global leadership and inspiring global action at the scale we need to prevent the most devastating consequences of the climate crisis. Achieving this commitment is possible through swift all-in action, and is essential for rebuilding a stronger and more equitable, clean economy that keeps America competitive.”

An ambitious new target, grounded in the latest climate science and in line with the commitments of other advanced economies, will allow the United States to reclaim its role as a global climate leader. And to be credible, the new U.S. NDC must be achievable through concrete policy action at home.

In addition to the crucial need for a whole-of-government approach, the report identifies three key insights:

• Strong early action is needed for both short-lived and long-lived climate pollutants: Swiftly curbing powerful short-lived climate pollutants, such as methane, can significantly slow down the rate of warming in the near-term. The administration should—as a component of the new NDC—put forward an explicit commitment to reduce methane emissions economy-wide by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030. At the same time, early action to cut long-lived climate pollutants, such as CO₂, is needed for stabilizing the climate in the long term.
• Cleaning up the power sector is key: The bulk of emissions reductions by 2030 come from the power sector, underscoring how early action to meet Biden’s clean electricity goal for 2035 is critical. Cleaning up the power sector as quickly as possible is important for enabling swift and broad electrification of other sectors like transportation.
• Not all pathways are created equal: While it is possible to get to at least 50% with sector-specific action alone, an enforceable declining limit and a price on emissions economy-wide would get the country there more quickly and affordably—supercharging action to cut pollution across major emitting sectors and providing a critical backstop to ensure we meet our goals.

“The Biden administration can harness many promising policy tools right away to move us toward a target of at least 50%, while building a thriving, more equitable clean economy,” said Susanne Brooks, Senior Director for U.S. Climate Policy and Analysis at EDF. “The administration can jumpstart progress in three key sectors—power, transportation, and methane emissions from the oil and gas sector—by putting in place critical clean air and climate protections under existing law and by working with Congress to enact transformative investments in recovery legislation. Crucially, these immediate steps can create millions of jobs and improve air quality for all Americans—which is especially critical for low-income communities and communities of color that have borne and continue to bear a disproportionate share of harmful pollution. Just as important as meeting our climate goals is how we reach those goals: policies can and should be designed to expand access to economic opportunity, reduce exposure to harmful air pollution, and empower American workers in every community.”

Each of the analyses in the report relies on a different set of methodologies and policy pathways, providing greater confidence that the goal of at least 50% reductions below 2005 levels by 2030 is achievable. And there is strong evidence that even greater reductions than those outlined below are possible:

• EDF-National Energy Modeling System (relying on Rhodium Group modeling): A suite of sector-specific policies through federal executive action and clean energy incentives in legislation, as well as an economy-wide limit and price on carbon. Reaches 51% projected 2030 emissions reductions.
• The Center for Global Sustainability Modeling (GCAM): A suite of sector-specific policies that includes federal executive action and stimulus incentives. Reaches 51% projected 2030 emissions reductions.
• America’s Pledge: Expanded bottom-up action by states, cities, and businesses together with sector-specific federal executive and Congressional action. Reaches 49% projected 2030 emissions reductions.
• EDF Sectoral Analysis: A suite of sector-specific policies, reflective of federal executive action, new legislative and additional incentives. Reaches 51% projected 2030 emissions reductions.

Read the full report here and blog with key findings here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Today House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Subcommittee Chairs Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) introduced an updated version of the CLEAN Future Act.

The bill set targets of 50% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions across the economy by no later than 2030 and 100% by no later than 2050. Importantly, the bill also requires the power sector to make deep cuts in pollution, broadly consistent with President Biden’s commitment to 100% clean electricity by 2035.

“By focusing on solutions across the economy to cut climate pollution, the CLEAN Future Act gives us a historic chance to create jobs and healthier communities and build a more secure and equitable future for our children.

“It’s critical the U.S. build on existing progress in reducing emissions and lock-in deep cuts over the next ten years to put us on a path toward a clean future. As this and related bills move forward, it is especially important that these bills guarantee carbon pollution from the power sector is cut by 80% below 2005 levels by 2030. This is consistent with leading company commitments— and is not only achievable, but essential for achieving our economy-wide goals.

“EDF applauds Chairman Pallone and Representatives Rush and Tonko for their steadfast commitment to strong climate action and we look forward to working with them to enact durable climate legislation that ensures emissions decline at the pace and scale necessary.”

• Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President, Political Affairs

(WASHINGTON – Mar. 1, 2021) At World Ocean Summit today, Environmental Defense Fund launched “Portraits of Change,” a new eight-part video series to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change and other stressors on fishers, fish workers and fishing communities across the globe.

These videos provide a powerful firsthand account of the battles faced by fishers and fish workers as they are faced with declining fish populations, increasingly common extreme weather events and disruptions due to climate change, COVID-19 and other stressors.  

“‘Portraits of Change’ offers us a glimpse into the lives of fishers and their communities as they battle the effects of climate change, COVID-19 and other challenges,” said Kate Bonzon, VP for Oceans Global Initiatives. “These are their stories, told in their own words, and they underscore the critical importance of tackling climate change and providing new solutions to increase ocean resilience. They also reveal the remarkable tenacity, creativity and resilience for which fishers have long been known.”

Today, roughly 3 billion people rely on fish as an essential source of protein, and nearly a billion people rely on fish for micronutrients that they cannot get from any other food source. Furthermore, hundreds of millions of people — from fishermen to seafood processors — depend on fish for their livelihoods. But our oceans face major threats that diminish their ability to support the communities that rely on them. Between overfishing, habitat loss, climate change and even COVID-19, fishers are increasingly fighting an uphill battle to protect their primary food source and livelihoods.

“Every step we take, we need to think of our children, of our nephews, our grandkids. What kind of Mexico, what kind of world, what kind of seas and oceans are we leaving them?” said Ernesto Gastelum, a featured fisher from Mexico. “The present and the future of fishing is in our hands.”

“The ocean is number one for me. It is important,” said Suhendra, a crab fisher from Indonesia. “The life of my family depends on the ocean. I can send my children to school by catching fish. That is why we have to protect the ocean. If the ocean is damaged or sick, there will be nothing left for our children.” 

Portraits of Change features fishers from Mexico, Peru, Chile, Cuba, Indonesia and the U.S. who have partnered with EDF on fishery projects and operate in key fishing communities in tropical zones across the globe. Each video was recorded on the fisher’s personal camera phones to minimize the potential spread of COVID-19. EDF produced “Portraits of Change” to demonstrate to policymakers how climate change and other stressors affect individuals and communities and to underscore the need for reforms.

“Portraits of Change” can be watched here.