Air quality
Air quality measures how polluted the air we breathe is. Pollution comes from:
- transport
- agriculture
- industry
- energy generation
- burning fuel at home
Poor air quality harms health, especially for people with lung or heart conditions. It also damages the environment.
We develop and put in place policies to improve air quality and protect people and nature. We focus on:
-
creating policies to improve air quality
-
setting limits on harmful pollutants
-
reducing health and environmental risks
Our strategy, Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 (2021–2026), sets out actions to improve air quality. We report on progress every year. A Ministerial Working Group provides leadership and direction on the strategy.
The Scottish Air Quality Advisory Group provides independent expert advice on outdoor air quality to the Scottish Government.
The Air Quality in Scotland website provides up-to-date information on air pollution levels across the country.
Enforcing authorities
We work with local authorities to manage local air pollution. If pollution is too high, they declare Air Quality Management Areas and take action to improve conditions.
SEPA regulates emissions from certain industries. More information about SEPA's role in air quality is available on their website.