The UK has one of the highest levels of premature deaths from nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air pollution in the EU according to a 2015 report [PDF] published Wednesday by the European Environment Agency (EEA) [official website]. According to the EEA while air quality is slowly improving around Europe it still remains the single largest environmental health hazard in Europe [press release] resulting in a lower quality of life. A High Court judge ordered [press release] the UK Government on Monday to create a stronger air quality plan by July 2017. The plan must bring the air pollution level within legal limits. Mr Justice Garnham ruled in favor of ClientEarth against the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs [official website] finding that the government’s proposed timetable, which would have given them until September 2017, was “far too leisurely.” The judge further ordered the government to publish all technical data regarding the basis of its plan. According to ClientEarth’s lawyer, a total of 37 out of 43 zones in the UK have illegal levels of air pollution.

In March Client Earth filed [JURIST report] papers stating that the UK experiences 40,000 early deaths from air pollution every year and that the government has failed to take appropriate action in the face of this public health crisis. The High Court ruled [JURIST report[ that the current air quality plan was unlawful because it was based on faulty projections of diesel vehicles that would not reduce the levels of NO2 quickly enough. The original plan proposed six clean air zones in London, Birmingham, Derby, Southampton, Nottingham and Leeds; which is extremely insufficient based on the number of zones affected.