Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah who died from dangerous levels of air pollution in 2013
(Picture: PA Media)Sadiq Khan piled pressure on the Government on Tuesday to speed up its battle against toxic air.
He called for ministers to “act now” and back Ella’s Law to make breathing clean air a human right.
The proposed new law is named after Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah who died on February 15 2013, aged nine, following an asthma attack.
Ella, who lived near the South Circular Road in Lewisham, south-east London, became the first person in Britain to have air pollution listed by a coroner as a cause of death.
It would have been her 19th birthday on January 24.
More than 30 MPs are backing a Commons campaign, being led by Green MP Caroline Lucas, to make the Government give time and support for the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill.
It would also force ministers to speed up by a decade, from 2040 to 2030, the goal to tackle tiny PM2.5 particulate pollution.
So, far the Government has refused to adopt these aims.
But Mr Khan said: “Ella died tragically at just nine years old because of toxic air.
“As we approach the tenth anniversary of her death, I am once again urging the Government to do the right thing and support the bill.”
The Mayor added: “Ella’s Law could help save lives and protect other families from going through the devasting loss that Ella’s family went through. We must not condemn another generation of young children to serious risks to their health as a result of toxic air.
“The Government must act now to fight the dangers of toxic air pollution and climate change.”
She urged them to put aside party politics, stressing: “This is about saving lives.”
Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah was due to speak to MPs in Parliament on Tuesday.
Health chiefs estimate that the death toll from human-made air pollution in the UK equates to between 29,000 and 43,000 fatalities every year.
Scientists have warned that PM2.5 toxic air is particularly harmful to human health as it can work its way deep into the lungs and heart system.
Under the proposed new law, the Government would have to reduce tiny PM2.5 particulate pollution to 10 µg/m3 (microgrammes per cubic metre) by 2030, the goal being adopted by the EU.
But Environment Secretary Therese Coffey has refused to back this timescale, instead opting for 2040, as the Government argues that targets must be achievable across the country.
But even the Government’s own eco-watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection has criticised its stance, advocating the 2030 deadline.
The Environment Department said it “fully recognises” the importance of driving down PM2.5.
A spokesperson added: “Our new air quality targets set a clear and ambitious trajectory that will significantly reduce its impact on health.
“Our dual target approach will ensure reductions where concentrations are highest as well as reducing average exposure across the country by over a third by 2040 compared to 2018.”
