London Air Quality - Pollution

In central London, the smog might be an effect of the increased sunshine. Back in the day when I was at university studying environmental stuff, there was a known smoggy hotspot around Docklands where the wind never carried away the pollution and it kind of sat there in a cloud. When strong sunshine passed through it, the UV would create ground level ozone from the unburned hydrocarbons etc. Photochemical smog. It was always likened to how it occurs in Mexico City. People only doing short car journeys to the supermarket is going to create all the ideal ingredients for it.

https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/environment/air-pollution/rules-for-chimneys--bonfires-and-open-fires

Do not light bonfires during the COVID-19 outbreak
COVID-19 can cause serious respiratory problems in some people which may be aggravated by the smoke from bonfires.

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Yeah we need something like this through peoples doors, they are not going to go searching for it on websites. My flat filled with smoke again this evening.

I'm going to print a few hundred of these and start dropping them through doors. Anyone want to help?

Apart from the standard "building under development caught fire" type firea, haven't seen many in Glasgow. Must be a London thing, what are they burning, garden waste or all that paperwork thats been gathering by the bin since last year that needs burnt/shredded and not recycle?

Mostly smells like garden waste. Have smelt some really toxic shit as well, I recognise MDF and plywood smell. also loads of barbeques.

So many BBQ!
Read a thing recently that badly sourced/non managed plantations/low quality charcoaling production is one of the largest new polluters. Coming from countries where a lot of folk live with no electricity or gas for cooking, so using charcoal, multiple by a few million people and you have one quiet large problem. Also companies copying packaging of legit charcoal producers (who go to a lot of effort/expense/legislation dropped upon them to be as clean as is possible in that process), some end up in UK shops which I was surprised/not surprised by.
Propane BBQ it is then, that 90's american cartoon was ahead of the curve somehow

Lots of councils have started charging for garden waste.. dumping and burning are just results of that policy. Driven by funding cuts from central governments.
There has been massive reduction of green waste anyways. Driveways paved over and rear garden astroturf. Even replica planting.
All very sad and causing huge draining issues most people haven't built the required soakaways.

Cycling past a long queue of traffic waiting at North sheen level crossing 80% of which had their engines running. It's a residential street and there are young families walking along the pavement/ waiting at the level crossing.

Manor Road already has a few "No Idling" signs but nobody seems to care. I live nearby and always encounter idling cars waiting at the level crossing.

I've been approaching drivers to get engines turned off. You can get involved here

https://idlingaction.london/

Some current numbers:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/sadiq-khan-london-air-quality-coronavirus-lockdown-pollution-a4422531.html

I'm afraid I don't think it will last, at all.

Nope, the rebound is going to be even more people in cars as everyone is scared of public transport. Although we'll get a few people who are like "wow I didn't realise everything was so close by bike/walking" that will continue.

I'm afraid I don't think it will last, at all.

Not if he builds the fucking silvertown tunnel. This project is utter madness

https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/silvertown-tunnel

Noticed some new signs in west London. Quite visible and there's a few of them.

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Nice, but if drivers can't even pay attention to speed limits, parking restrictions, etc. will they even be noticed? I wonder if they have evidence if these work. Maybe it will have an impact on some drivers?

Guess this could go in the Environment or news or depression thread but will put it here. New study of 1,000 people in SE London finds that poor air quality is likely to have impact on mental health
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/24/small-increases-in-air-pollution-linked-to-rise-in-depression-finds-study

Posting this not in a COVID-19 thread, even though it really belongs in both, but this thread is a little less fast-moving.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/04/tiny-air-pollution-rise-linked-to-11-more-covid-19-deaths-study

Just been on a car journey 15 miles of which on the north circular. Now have a horrible taste in my mouth and mild headache. Really opened my eyes to the harm that it must do if you live there.

west London

Those cunts have already replaced ICE cars with Teslas and washed off the dirty so they can now close pass and kill anyone who is not driving with a clear conscience

Really struggling to breath these days after work and notice more after lockdown.

Thinking to put my cycling mask back on now, especially when I get into zone 1 and 2.

You never know, perhaps one day you'll actually have people living there again instead of it all being offices:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/pollution-environment-london-square-mile-ulez-b969901.html

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/13/londoners-told-to-reduce-physical-activity-on-friday-due-to-pollution

The forecast is horrendous.

https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/forecasting/locations?q=london&day=2#map_summary

That really is. Reaching the max of 10 in most of central London. Don't breathe!

Forecast reduced to 8 now.

Is anyone in central that could report if this was noticeable?