Government must act on projected rise of car emissions

The release of a report from Friends of the Earth, and the think-tank Transport for Quality of Life highlights that a rise in emissions from our roads could have a hugely detrimental effect on climate change and public health has brought the issue of air pollution and its effects into sharp focus. Too many places in our communities are exposed to damaging levels of airborne toxins, causing damage for the future as well as exacerbating existing conditions.

Commenting former Liberal Democrat Climate Change Secretary of State Ed Davey said: "The Liberal Democrats welcome this report and agree more radical thinking needs to be done."

Local Liberal Democrat Activist Matthew Eves says "We are facing a public health crisis, for the first time in a century the life expectancy of our children could be lower than the generation before. Fragmentation of our public transport system, coupled with the absence of a cohesive transport strategy in Stockton-on-Tees has meant that the private car has been left as the only practical choice leading to the excessive congestion and pollution we see today on our roads and communities."

We as liberal democrats demand better for our communities, the health and safety of us and our children. We must act to change our environment and lifestyles for the better, by providing the opportunities for individuals to make better transport choices.

The full report can be found at https://policy.friendsoftheearth.uk/sites/files/policy/documents/2019-02/free-buses-under-30s.pdf