The Ecologist: "UK uses EU 'loophole' to delay tackling air pollution in London"

Link to The Ecologist

"Government lawyers are set to argue in the High Court that EU rules allow them to delay meeting air pollution targets until as late as 2025 in London, despite growing health crisis.

"Simon Birkett, from the Campaign for Clean Air in London, said:

"The entire directive is about complying with NO2 limits by 2010. If the government was right, it would make a nonsense of the whole directive. It would mean member states did not need to do anything by any of the deadlines. That is ridiculous. They're putting more effort into arguing against it, rather than tackling the problem."

"ClientEarth lawyer Alan Andrews said they would be asking the court to declare the plans 'unlawful' and order the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to come up with a plan to reduce NO2 levels by 2015."