Australia needs stricter rules to curb air pollution, but there’s a lot we could all do now

We can all play a part in easing
air pollution problems.

Have you ever left your car running as you wait for a passenger to return from a quick errand? It’s called idling, and while it may feel easier than switching it off and on again, it wastes money and fuel, and dumps pollutants into the air. Vehicle emissions are a very significant contributor to air pollution, which causes health problems.

Few of us would leave the tap running or the fridge door open, and many are diligent about turning off lights. But when it comes to air pollution, many people are wasteful and unaware.

We need major public health campaigns to change people’s beliefs about what they can do to reduce air pollution, similar to the campaigns and enforcement that made our public spaces smoke-free and our schools and beaches sun smart. Australia also needs stronger policy aimed at curbing air pollution.

The Australian government’s fuel efficiency standards and noxious vehicle emission standards review, under way now, offers a chance to do that – but what’s been proposed so far doesn’t go anywhere near far enough.

Read the thoughts of a Senior Lecturer for Climate System Science at the University of Melbourne, Robyn Schofield, and a Professor of Urban Transport and Public Health, also from the University of Melbourne, Mark Stevenson -  “Australia needs stricter rules to curb air pollution, but there’s a lot we could all do now.”