Pollution control - air
Air quality and climate change
The Scientific Services Team provides local residents with facts about local air quality and its health implications.
The whole borough has been declared as an Air Quality Management Area. This is due to unacceptable concentrations of Nitrogen Dioxide and Particulates (PM10), over a stated period of time, which are above the standard for these pollutants according to National Air Quality Objectives (also known as 'exceedences'). There is an associated Air Quality Action Plan to improve air quality.
Barnet is also developing an action plan to reduce green house gas emissions in the borough. These are believed to be a major cause of global warming.
Barnet is one of 24 pilot authorities in England in Wales for the Councils for Climate Change Project. The project helps councils to calculate the volumes of greenhouse gases being produced in their areas and set targets and measures for reducing these.
The main tasks under the project are to:
- establish a base year emissions level and forecasts of greenhouse gases
- set emissions reduction targets
- develop, adopt and implement a local action plan to reach the targets
- monitor and report on greenhouse gas emissions and the implications of the measures adopted.
