Olympic Games 2012: UK to miss air quality target

The UK was scheduled to meet the targets on air quality by 2010, which
they failed so they have been given an extension till 2015. According
to the government records, they will not meet the required targets in
2015
ORIGINALLY, THE UK was supposed to meet the targets on air quality in
2010 which had been set by European Union, but an extension has been
given to UK till 2015. If the government records are to be believed
then the UK is going to miss the targets in all probability, which
would thus lead to a legal row just before the commencement of the
Olympic Games in London.

"The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has
admitted many cities will not meet them (air quality targets) before
2020, while meeting London's targets could be as late as 2025. If the
European Commission is not satisfied by these plans, it could launch
infringement action next year," reported the BBC. The Olympic
Committee would be closely monitoring the issue as they would not want
any kind of external disturbances during the games. During the last
Olympic Games in Beijing, pollution was one of the most criticised
issues.

One of the serious challenges that the DEFRA faces is reducing
emissions from various kinds of transport that is available in UK. So,
the British government are planning to ban those vehicles in cities,
which pollutes heavily in the atmosphere. They have introduced various
schemes that would help them in curtailing the emissions.

Britain's air quality is considered to have one of the worst records
among European nations. The UK must pull up its socks in time so that
there is a smooth and proper functioning of the Olympic Games in 2012.
A failure during the games of any kind would be treated as a dent in
the country's reputation to successfully manage large-scale sporting
events.

source:http://www.merinews.com/article/olympic-games-2012-uk-to-miss-air-quality-target/15853265.shtml