Glasgow Pollution Hotspots Pass Air Quality Tests for the First Time

That the Parliament welcomes reports that Glasgow’s pollution hotspots have passed air quality tests for the first time; understands that Friends of the Earth analysed official air pollution data for 2022, which showed a reduction in pollutants on pollution hotspots which are monitored; understands that Friends of the Earth found that 2022 was the first year that Glasgow did not breach air pollution limits, excluding the impact of lockdowns in 2020; notes that, in 2021, Hope Street, which has been the most polluted street in the country, recorded an annual average above the legal limit for diesel pollution but, in 2022, has seen one of the biggest improvements; understands that The European Ambient Air Quality Directive set a limit for Nitrogen Dioxide (N02) of 40 micrograms per cubic metre and that in 2022 Hope Street recorded 39.24 micrograms, Byres Road had 27.53 micrograms, Dumbarton Road was 26.12 micrograms, Anderston was 21.5 micrograms, High Street had 20.96 micrograms and Great Western Road scored 19.75 micrograms; notes that the Scottish annual statutory standard for particulate matter (PM10) is 18 micrograms per cubic metre and that all pollution hot spots in Glasgow were below that number; understands that campaigners have claimed that this is due to initiatives like the Low Emission Zone (LEZ); considers that provisional data shows that the LEZ and the Scottish Government’s subsidies for operators to buy new buses are having a considerable and welcome impact; accepts that particularly in Glasgow, improvements still have to be made but that improvements to date are welcome, and thanks Glasgow City Council and partners for their concerted efforts in improving air quality across the City.