"Supreme Court orders UK to take ‘immediate action’ over illegal air pollution", 29th April 2015

Britain’s highest court has ordered the government to take immediate action over illegally high levels of air pollution in the UK...the government must submit new air quality plans to the European Commission no later than December 31, 2015. Air pollution is estimated to cause 29,000 early deaths a year in the UK...ClientEarth’s case against the British government centers on an EU directive, which set limits for air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide...According to the ECJ’s ruling last year...the British government must have a plan to meet European air quality standards in the “shortest time possible.”...A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: “Air quality has improved significantly in recent years and...work is already underway on revised plans (since February 2014) to meet EU targets on NO2 as soon as possible.”...