Key Portsmouth organisations have signed a Portsmouth Clean Air Pledge, marking a joint commitment to improving the city’s air quality and protecting people’s health.

The pledge asks signatories to support a unified and coordinated approach to improve air quality in Portsmouth, aiming to:

• reduce sources of pollution
• limit exposure to pollution
• protect the most vulnerable

The pledge is the result of joint work by the Air Quality and Active Travel Board and its partners. The first organisations to sign include Portsmouth City Council, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB), Portsmouth and Portsmouth International Port.

Cllr Kimberly Barrett, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Greening the City at Portsmouth City Council, said: “Tackling air pollution must be a collective effort if we are to make the gains we would like to see in terms of improved health and wellbeing. The Portsmouth Clean Air pledge reflects a shared ambition to improve our environment and help deliver the Imagine Portsmouth 2040 vision of a greener, healthier city.

“We welcome more organisations to come forwards if they would like to sign the pledge and help make Portsmouth a cleaner, greener and healthier place to live.”

Trevor Mose, Head of Sustainability at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, said: “We are proud to work alongside our partners to improve our environment and protect the most vulnerable in our community. Air quality has a direct impact on the health of the people we care for and we are committed to working together to create a safer, healthier environment for everyone.”

The launch of the pledge was timed to coincide with Clean Air Night, marked on Thursday 22 January, which this year focused on the impact of domestic wood burning. Wood burning releases tiny particles that can harm our lungs and overall health. A recent report by environmental charity Ricardo suggests that air pollution from burning in the home contributes to new cases of a range of serious health conditions, including diabetes and asthma.

You can learn more about Clean Air Night here: https://www.cleanairhub.org.uk/clean-air-night