Pollution in London vs. Beijing

Londoners are once again being warned about the dangers of smog, and Mayor Sadiq Khan has already had to resort to issuing the highest threat level in his new toxicity warning system. 

Smog isn’t exactly new to London, of course. Back in the day the city used to experience what were termed “pea-soupers”, dirty fog so thick that moving around was like walking through petit pois potage. In 1952 icy conditions and weak winds produced “the Great Smog”. In the months after that five-day disaster it was estimated that 4000 people had died as a direct result of the pollution but recent research indicates the toll was much worse, with a whopping 12,000 fatalities.

So how on earth does fog kill, outside John Carpenter films? The sulphur dioxide released by burning coal forms sulphuric acid particles, so the Londoners of 1952 were pretty much breathing in acid rain. If that hasn’t got you sitting up and worried, not much will.

If that was a problem in the 1950’s, why does it still happen today and how bad could it get? Thankfully we’re not pumping out anything like the same level of pollutants we did in the unregulated industrial age, so we aren’t facing mass death. But diesel cars, high traffic and industrial plants still produce plenty of pollution and smog. In October 2017 the Mayor will introduce a £10 daily “T-Charge” or Toxicity Charge for some older high-emission vehicles driving into central London, but who knows if that will be enough?

The worst-case scenario is demonstrated in China. We’ve all seen the pictures of skyscrapers hidden by smog in Beijing and Shanghai. People often have to stay indoors for days on end to avoid damaging their health. Many now permanently wear medical masks outside to avoid breathing in the God-awful stuff.

London has obviously not reached that point but some schools have begun stopping children from playing outside during high toxicity levels. Sending your child to a city school shouldn’t have to come with such a hazard warning. China will begin banning some high-polluting vehicles, a far tougher restriction than a £10 charge.

Diesel cars are one of the biggest causes of pollution. The problem is that back in 2001 taxes were lowered for the supposedly “less harmful” diesel cars, encouraging people to buy them. Those same owners who thought they were doing the right thing are now being punished for the government’s mistaken assumptions and it’s frankly unfair. We expect our cars to last and those who can’t afford to replace them are also the drivers who are most likely to be unable to afford the increased taxes. If the government wants to decrease smog, measures to help diesel owners change cars would be a good place to start.

London could certainly take some tips from Beijing on dealing with smog. Wearing masks to protect lungs isn’t a bad idea and as they’re cheap, how about giving them out to people leaving Tube stations? Until we get this problem sorted it would be nice if the Mayor could give with the hand that isn’t busy taking more taxes.

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