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Clean air campaigns

Air pollution contributes to around 43,000 early deaths every year. It is the biggest environmental threat to public health. Not enough is being done to address this.

We’re campaigning for urgent action to clean up the air we breathe. 

Every year in the UK, up to 43,000 people die prematurely because of toxic air pollution. But this burden is not shared equally. Communities from lower income and ethnically minoritised backgrounds are facing disproportionately high levels of air pollution, despite typically causing the least amount of pollution.

We campaign to lower air pollution because it causes and worsens lung conditions, and stunts children’s lung growth, affecting them for life. The economic cost is estimated to be £27 billion each year, from healthcare costs, productivity losses, and reduced quality of life. Levels of air pollution in the UK are much higher than guidelines set by the World Health Organization, but the government aren’t doing enough about it. 

We’re calling on the government to:

  • Commit to stronger, legally binding air quality targets aligned with the 2021 World Health Organization guidelines, to better protect public health.

  • Deliver a national campaign to raise the public’s awareness of the health harms of air pollution.

  • Improve clean air policy by involving those most impacted by air pollution in it’s creation.

Weak targets and low public awareness have allowed air pollution to remain a silent killer for too long. Join us as we campaign for everyone’s right to breathe clean air with healthy lungs. 

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Your stories

An image of Susan
Campaigning

I was told to avoid air pollution because of my lung conditions but it's impossible where I live

Susan, 52, from Manchester, was diagnosed with asthma in 2022 and bronchiectasis the following year. She has had to attend A&E twice due to asthma attacks, and even with daily medication she has a persistent cough and can become breathless.
An image of a hand putting wood into a wood burning stove
Your stories

I end up in hospital every year because of wood burning stoves

Our supporter Julie has severe asthma and looks forward to going out in her wheelchair with her carers for some fresh air each day. But she's often forced to stay inside during the autumn due to a toxic cocktail of air pollution, partially caused by wood burning stoves. Here she tells us about it.
A photo of Connie wearng an Asthma + Lung UK running vest and holding up her marathon medals
Your stories

My biggest challenge hasn’t been running a marathon - it’s been battling toxic air.

Connie, 29, was diagnosed with asthma as a child but her symptoms disappeared as she got older. However, they came back worse than ever when she moved to London. Here she tells us about her battle with air pollution and what running the London Marathon meant to her.
A young man in a pink hoodie stands next to a woman in a white blazer, both smiling beside a large portrait of him displayed on an easel in a wood-panelled room
Campaigning

Maksim fights for his right to breathe clean air

Maksim has asthma and was only nine years old when he first started campaigning for every child’s right to breathe clean air. He first got involved when his mum Julia helped to launch a successful battle to prevent the local council from building a car park next to his primary school in Manchester City Centre. Maksim, now 14, has become one of Asthma + Lung UK’s most dedicated campaigners for clean air since then. Here he tells us about his journey to joining the fight for clean air.
A young girl in a purple T-shirt crouches on a pavement, smiling as she strokes a cat, with metal barriers and a black car in the background
Campaigning

Nancy goes to Downing Street

Ten-year-old Nancy, who has asthma, was delighted to go to No 10 to help hand in our petition calling for the Government to set up a Cleaner Travel Access Fund. Here she tells us what it was like going to Downing Street and why she wanted to support our campaign for cleaner air.

Our work

A woman with curly dark hair, in a beige fur-trimmed coat, stands on a staircase, looking thoughtful

This is Life + Breath: The Stories of Toxic Air

This is Life + Breath: The Stories of Toxic Air presents the stories of ten people across the UK whose lives and health have been affected by air pollution.
A person in a black shirt covers their nose and mouth with their clothing while standing next to a busy road filled with cars

Saving Your Breath – the economic benefit of cleaner air

Our new report with Ricardo, environmental consultants, shows that if the policy was rolled out across England, it could deliver millions in savings to the NHS, and boost the economy.
Putting the brakes on toxic air

Putting the brakes on toxic air

In our latest policy report we set out our transport plan for a greener, fairer future. We’re calling on the government to roll out the Cleaner Travel Access Fund.
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Zoning in on clean air

Our new report finds that 24 million people across the UK are breathing in toxic air that is damaging their lungs and their ability to breathe.

Your story

If you have a story to tell about how toxic air has impacted you, or your loved ones please get in touch. By sharing the real human impact of toxic air we can help more people understand it and campaign for change and make sure your voice gets heard.

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Become a clean air champion

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