Edinburgh second worst among leading European cities for air pollution improvements – campaigners Clean Cities
Edinburgh is the second worst for improving air quality among 36 leading European cities, a survey by environmental campaigners showed today.
The Scottish capital was also ranked second bottom for traffic congestion, the study for the Clean Cities campaign found.
Glasgow was not featured among the “broad sweep” of cities with “international significance” chosen for the investigation, but Friends of the Earth Scotland (FoES) said it hoped Scotland’s largest city would be included in future versions.
Edinburgh was placed 31st overall over a range of yardsticks that also included pedestrian and cyclist safety and public transport, which were measured in 2017-19 before the Covid pandemic.
Oslo came top, followed by Amsterdam, Helsinki, Copenhagen and Paris.
All the cities faring worse than Edinburgh were in Italy and Poland: Rome, the Tri-city conurbation of Gdansk, Sopot & Gdynia, Warsaw, Krakow and Naples.
Only Tri-city was worse for air quality improvements.
The report, compiled by consultants Ricardo Energy & Environment, comes three months before a low emission zone is due to be introduced in Edinburgh city centre in May.
Only vehicles with the cleanest available engines will be permitted, although enforcement is not due to start until June 2024 after a two-year grace period.
FoES transport campaigner Gavin Thomson said: “This embarrassing ranking shows how badly a low emission zone is needed in Edinburgh.
"The air pollution from transport puts the health of residents at risk, and was at illegal levels until the pandemic took some vehicles off the road.