For many years, the UK has been considered the capital of smog and pollution of various types. Has air pollution in UK changed over the years? Is the state of air in the biggest British cities at least a little bit better than it used to be?

Why the UK’s bad reputation?

The UK’s bad name and reputation for exceptionally poor air quality can be traced back to events in the last century. Contributing to this was the so-called Great London Smog. This was an event that occurred in the 1850s when the temperature in London reached relatively low levels. This was associated with an intensification of heating activities, which caused Londoners to produce much more pollution coming out of their chimney than before. Air pollution in UK reached such levels that several thousand Londoners were taken to hospital with severe poisoning from inhaling toxic substances. However, 70 years have passed since that event. What is the situation today?

What has changed about air pollution in the UK?

At present, air pollution in UK boasts relatively low values. Thanks to a wise environmental policy and the many restrictions that have been put in place since the fateful year of 1952, the situation has been getting better and better every year. Nowadays, air pollution maps show that London, compared to other cities, and the UK itself are not too bad, which can be considered a great success.