Des Coleman: Why I care about the air

Credit: ITV News Central/PA

These days it seems there are so many things to concern yourself about.

Back in the day problems came at you once a year.

Edwina Currie’s eggs or Mad Cow disease but now issues come thick and fast, each one like a wasp comes with a sting.

That’s not to say they are not as relevant as each other.

So, your attention please for the heads up on another issue rearing its ugly head.

This time it’s about the quality of air we breathe every second of every day.

Or as the song Seasons of love from the musical RENT says for ‘Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes’ of every year. Incidentally I was in RENT during its run in the West End.

The purity of our air is a matter of great concern.

Poor air quality is not only harmful to humans but wildlife, biodiversity and affects manufacturing farming and countless other things.

I don’t want to just give you a load of facts but they are worth a look.

These figures are from Public health England which states that poor air quality leaves uswith…

This fortunately is all preventable and the UK has promised to play its part.

The World Health Organisation has praised our clean air strategy as an example for the rest of the world which is why we should be filled with a sense of pride to know that by improving our air we protect ourselves and future generations.

The ITV weather team and I have been looking at ways to inform you, give you the heads up about rising levels of air pollution and how we can mitigate, avoid, or deal with it in the coming months and years.

And with the celebration of Clean Air Day on June the 17th we get another opportunity for us all to be involved in making the environment safer for family and loved ones.

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