Pollution
There is
no particular pollution problem in
Britain. Right ? No, wrong.
The situation
is worst in London where, according to
the House of Commons Environment Committee, 4,300 people die
prematurely every year as a result of airborne particles created by
traffic and factories.
The European
Commission has now given a final
warning to the U.K. to clean London's air. If nothing happens, we could
face fines of up to £300 million.
The Mayor of
London, B. Johnson, asked the E.U. in
2009 for more time to solve the problem. Will Mr Johnson perform a
miracle ?
The
Government's main information website, http://data.gov.uk,
gives
virtually no information on pollution.
There's an impressive map on the website of the Environment Agency
but when you click on the links to get information, you're told that
'this page no longer exists'. Their motto is 'creating a better place'.
Who are they kidding ?
No doubt the government has produced an impressive
'vision statement' on pollution but look underneath the hype and you'll
find an empty space.