The Environment Act 2021 established a new framework for environmental targets for England. The Environmental Targets (fine particulate matter) (England) Regulations 2023 set targets under this framework for the air pollutant of most harm to health – fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The two targets, both to be met by 2040 are:
Annual mean concentrations of PM2.5 to be 10 µg m-3 or lower
Population exposure to PM2.5 to be reduced by 35% compared to 2018 levels
The two targets are designed to work together to drive actions that both reduce concentrations where it is highest and reduce the pollution that everyone in the country experiences.
Definitions:
The meaning of “targets” is different in the target regulations to that in the Air Quality Standards Regulations wherein “target values” have specific meaning. Both PM2.5 targets are legally binding.
Both targets are based on the concentrations measured over a calendar year which is the standard period of time used for assessing concentrations associated to long-term exposure and associated health impacts.
To meet the annual mean concentration target (AMCT) the concentrations at each AURN monitoring site in England needs to be at or below the target level in the year 2040.
Population exposure is a measure of the average pollution the country’s population experiences and is an indicator of the impact of PM2.5 on the nation’s health. The population exposure indicator for the exposure target is calculated by averaging measurements from a sub-set of monitoring stations which are located in sites representative of population density and typical exposure to produce one value for England. This value is averaged over three years to reduce the influence of weather conditions so the underlying trend can be seen.
Information relating to the target development is available here.
Assessing progress towards the targets
The Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 sets interim targets and outlines policies to meet these. The interim targets are that by January 2028 annual mean concentrations must be 12 µg m-3 or lower and the population exposure must be reduced by at least 22% compared to 2018.
Interim and long-term targets are assessed using measurements of PM2.5 concentration from the AURN monitoring network, which is being expanded to support this assessment.
Information on progress towards the targets is here and instructions on how to calculate the target metrics using measurement data can be found here.
Trends in PM2.5 concentrations are also reported in the Air Quality Statistics Bulletins and are assessed in the Air Pollution in the UK annual report.
Target delivery
The responsibility for meeting the PM2.5 targets sits with national government, but local government, businesses and individuals all have a role to play. There will be ongoing engagement about this role and guidance and policy documents will be updated to support the consideration of the targets in decision making. Defra is developing a new approach and associated guidance for how the PM2.5 targets should be considered in planning decisions. While this is being produced interim guidance is available here. Further detail on the role of local authorities and their air quality partners in supporting the delivery of the targets is set out in the Air Quality Strategy.