London was the history of the famous “fog” from the mid-20th century, the British adopted a series of measures to control air pollution. Despite slow progress, but after half a century of effort, finally shook off London “fog” hat. And including Nanjing, including more and more Chinese cities, is facing a growing current of air pollution situation. Experts point out that serious and strict enforcement of legislation, scientific urban planning and management, is the first success in London due to pollution. China’s major cities should learn from this experience.
A
Legislation
Promulgation of the world’s first Air Act
December 1952, London was shrouded in a thick smoke, which led to the London smog event. Since then, the British began to rethink the bitter fruit of air pollution, and gave birth to the world’s first air pollution control bill “Clean Air Act,” introduced.
Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, according to experts, this “Clean Air Act” to the social production and all aspects of life, reduce and curb the emission of pollutants. Such as requiring large-scale transformation of urban residents traditional stoves to reduce the amount of coal, natural gas, the progressive realization of the living; to central heating in winter; the establishment of smoke-free zone in the city, requiring large power plants and coal smoke pollution, heavy industry facilities, moved to suburbs, and so on.
By 1968, the British also issued a series of air pollution control bill, these bills for a variety of emissions, are a rigorous constraints, and developed a clear penalty measures to effectively reduce the lead to heavy fog shrouded the kinds of smoke and particulate matter. In 1975, London Fog has been reduced by the dozens of days each year to 15 days, then 1980 and further to 5 days. “Fog,” the title was finally no longer worthy of the name.
B
Industry
Emissions of the plant site and the strict supervision of
UK environmental legislation has been at the forefront of the world, because London has a temperate maritime climate, air humidity, prone to fog. And in the late 19th century, is just the age of the British industrial development, industrial pollution, combined with residents of coal, in the absence of wind season, often smoggy London. It is because of industrial air pollution emission factors on the serious impact of very early start for the United Kingdom for industrial pollution prevention and control.
In the early “Clean Air Act”, the provisions of Britain’s power plant in the city of London must be closed only in the Greater London area reconstruction. Requires the construction of tall chimneys of industrial enterprises, strengthen the evacuation of atmospheric pollutants. By the 1970s, the British Government launched the “Workplace Health and Safety Act” and other regulations require polluting industries to take measures to prevent harmful gases into the atmosphere, or face severe punishment. These measures effectively reduce emissions of soot and sulfur dioxide pollution.
Since 1995, the United Kingdom has developed a national air quality strategy, the provisions of the various cities will have to be air quality evaluation and review, fail to meet standards of the local government must designate air quality management area, and enforce the prescribed period in compliance.
C
Traffic
Priority to the development of public transport system inhibited the expansion of private cars
After entering the 1980s, replaced by industrial pollution, traffic pollution, air quality in London to become the primary threat. To this end, the government issued a series of measures to curb traffic pollution. Including the priority to the development of public transport network, inhibiting the development of private cars and reducing vehicle emissions and improve our traffic congestion and so on.
According to experts, the British Government restrictions on car exhaust emissions are very strict. Including promoting the use of unleaded gasoline; on car exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons and other components of strict control and inspection in automotive exhaust gas detected in the carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, etc. are standard and so on. From January 1993 onwards, all new cars sold in the UK has been asked to be the installation of catalytic converters to reduce nitrogen oxide pollution.
In 2003, the London city government began to impose on private cars entering the city’s “congestion charge”, and the sum of income used to improve the public transport system development. Currently, London is planned over the next 20 years, the London-based private car traffic decrease of 9%. On the one hand in order to solve traffic congestion problems, the other wants to improve air quality.
In addition, London will also encourage residents to buy smaller displacement vehicles, to promote high-efficiency, clean engine technology and the use of natural gas, electricity or clean fuel cell vehicles, and strictly limit the number of buses. Government, through leading by example, urged the public to give priority to take the bus and subway travel.
D
Urban
Strengthen the scientific planning and management of urban
Britain issued the first in the world, national sustainable development plans. Careful planning and efficient licensing system, but also an important part of ensuring environmental quality.
According to reports, the UK’s planning system by the national planning, regional planning, county-level planning, district-level planning component. Each land development and use, whether residential or business building expansion project through the planning permission is required to apply for planning permission must have a strict environmental impact assessment. Even the London 2012 Olympic venues and Olympic Village construction in the environmental assessment requirements, but also did not vague.
In addition, the UK’s application for planning permission is transparent, all reports required to open, there is a very important stage of public consultation, the public has the right to even question the right of veto. This leads to the evaluation of the environment, is no longer simply rely on the supervision of government departments, participate in public and the media has become a matter, which may lead to contamination of the project directly killed in the EIA phase.
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