Lunchtime 101: Air Pollution
Why is air pollution still a health risk in Scotland? And what can we do about it? Join us to hear from medical experts, environmental advocates, and community campaigners on how we can guarantee our right to clean air.
Why you should know about air pollution
Air quality in Scotland has improved in recent years, but pollution from transport, industry, and domestic heating and cooking remains a significant contributor to climate change and a public health risk.
Air pollution is the largest environmental health risk in Europe. Recent research from the Royal College of Physicians (2025) warns that air pollution affects almost every organ in the human body and will contribute to the equivalent of 30,000 deaths in the UK this year alone. It is linked to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases such as asthma and lung cancer, as well as impaired foetal development, strokes, mental health conditions, and dementia.
Air quality and climate change are intrinsically linked as they both arise from broadly the same sources, with the release of greenhouse gases and aerosols contributing to changing climate and weather patterns.
Rapid changes are needed to guarantee our right to clean air, through cutting the use of polluting vehicles, slashing industrial and business emissions, and avoiding wood burning in our homes.
Our government must do more to enforce clean air laws, strengthen air quality standards, and enact structural changes in our economy to eliminate harmful emissions at source. The Scottish Government’s upcoming Clean Air for Scotland Strategy 3 (CAFS3) will be a crucial opportunity to strengthen ambition and deliver policies that guarantee our right to clean air.
Join us over lunchtime to find out more.
Air Pollution 101
Joining ERCS will be Mandy Cairns from Communities Against Woodsmoke, Dr Malcolm White, clean air specialist at Global Action Plan, and Prof Jill Belch ,co-chair of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh’s working group on air pollution.
Together we will discuss and take questions from you on:
- What are the primary causes of air pollution in Scotland?
- What are the impacts on our health and the health of our planet?
- What further changes are needed to guarantee the right to clean air?
Book tickets
Lunchtime 101: Air Pollution
