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Indicator 8 Air Quality
Number of Air Quality Management Areas ( AQMAs)
Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
|---|
Number of AQMAs | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
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Source: Scottish Executive
Notes: The variance in the number of AQMAs between 2000 and 2001 does not indicate poorer air quality. It is simply related to a later completion of the review process by some local authorities.
It is expected that over the long term, the number of AQMAs will decline as air quality continues to improve through developments in transport and industry. However, there may be a short term upward trend as the objectives in the Air Quality Strategy become more challenging, and the amount of monitoring data becomes more complete for Scotland.
The relevance of the indicator
Scotland has a good record on air quality but we can do better. Controlling air pollution is a key sustainable development objective in order to reduce the risks of harm to our health and environment.
Choice of indicator
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (<acronym>Defra</acronym>) and the devolved administrations' air quality indicator for the UK is a measure of the number of days per year on which air pollution is moderate or higher 1. There is an insufficient number of monitoring sites in Scotland for a similar indicator to be meaningful and we have therefore used the number of AQMAs against which to measure progress.
Detailed definition and source details
An AQMA2 is declared by a local authority where the air quality objective for one or more of the nine 3 pollutants in the Air Quality Strategy is unlikely to be met by the specified date. The information is derived from the air quality review and assessment reports which local authorities are required to produce.
Trends
The first AQMA was declared in December 2000 and there are no discernible trends to date. The short term increase in the number of AQMAs is due to the more comprehensive data capture and some more challenging objectives in the AQS rather than poorer air quality.
Further disaggregation
The three AQMAs are in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. In areas without AQMAs, indications are that all the Air Quality Strategy objectives will be met by the prescribed dates. However, a further review and assessment exercise is currently being undertaken by all local authorities, due to be completed by March 2005. This may lead to a change in the number of AQMAs.
Target
To have only one AQMA in Scotland by 2010.
Action
All local authorities declaring AQMAs must draw up action plans outlining how they intend to work towards the objectives. The City of Edinburgh Council's and Glasgow City Council's action plans have been agreed with the Executive and are now in place. Aberdeen City Council's plan is being currently being finalised.
Footnotes1 More information on the UK air quality indicator can be found in the UK Government annual reports on sustainable development, Achieving a Better Quality of Life, available on the internet at: www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/ar2002/index.htm
2 More information on AQMAs is available on the Scottish Executive website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/environment/airquality/publications/2000/strategy/aqs2000.asp
3 A new pollutant - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ( PAH) - was added to the Air Quality Strategy in February 2003.
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