close

Environment roundup

The UK government was at the supreme court on Thursday over air pollution plans. Judges heard environmental group Client Earth’s case against the UK Government over failures to reduce Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) levels and responses from the secretary of state. Current plans are not expected to bring toxic NO2 emissions, which are often produced by surface transport, to within legal limits in 16 cities and regions including London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Glasgow until 2030. This would be 20 years after the original deadline. The UK is facing fines of up to £300M from the EU for the breach, with these costs likely to be passed to councils by the Government