72 hours to save 58,000 lives. EU Clean Air package under threat
On Thursday 11 December, we learned that new EU president Jean Claude Juncker, is planning to abandon two packages which could prevent 58,000 premature deaths from air pollution by 2030, save £31-110bn, and create over 580,000 jobs.
The European Commission will decide on this on Tuesday 16th December! So there are only 72 hours to act.
Urgent Action – please contact your MP(s) this weekend (13-14 December), asking them to call on Prime Minister David Cameron to protect the Clean Air and Circular Economy packages.
As this briefing sets out, the Commission’s own estimates suggest that each year the Clean Air package would save £31-110bn and prevent as many as 58,000 premature deaths from air pollution by 2030. Designed to improve resource efficiency and air quality in Europe, the Circular Economy package would create over 580,000 jobs and generate net savings of £475bn.
The media are already picking up on this scandal, and Friends of the Earth is doing all we can to draw attention to this threat. We’re placing an advert in Sunday’s Independent and Monday’s ‘i’ newspaper, using Twitter and Facebook to spread the message, and lobbying key decision makers. We’re also corralling businesses, many of whom are as keen to see action on this as we are.
Please email your MP. You can find your MP by popping your postcode in the Write to Them website.
Please also send a message to David Cameron, UK Prime Minister asking him to “Stop Brussels caving in on toxic air and resource waste”.
