Air pollution is a health emergency
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock launches the Clean Air Strategy 2019.
I바카라 사이트m here, as Health Secretary, because air pollution is a health emergency.
When it comes to our health, there바카라 사이트s lots of things we can take personal responsibility for: what we eat, how we exercise and whether we smoke, for instance.
And I바카라 사이트m no nanny state politician. I believe personal responsibility is important.
But around a third of what determines the length of our healthy life is the environment we live in 바카라 사이트 the things we can바카라 사이트t, alone, do anything about.
And of those environmental causes of healthy life expectancy, the biggest factor is the air we breathe.
The biggest single environmental cause of death is air pollution. Air pollution causes chronic conditions, and shortens lives.
In short: air pollution kills. Clean air saves lives.
And it바카라 사이트s worse than that 바카라 사이트 because the impact of air pollution is even bigger on children, as their lungs are growing.
I know this. I know more about air pollution than most people.
For a decade, almost, I lived next to a very busy main road.
I바카라 사이트d constantly have to clean the dirt 바카라 사이트 these horribly black specs that became a carpet 바카라 사이트 off my window sill.
And to this day I feel guilty that I brought my children into the world living next to the A40.
I바카라 사이트m delighted that I was able to move my family away, but I know not everyone is in a position to do that.
And contrast that with my constituency in West Suffolk where you바카라 사이트re much likelier to breathe fresh, clean air blown in from the sea 바카라 사이트 it might as well be 2 different worlds.
We are the fifth richest country in the world. We바카라 사이트ve just put an extra Β£20.5 billion into the NHS. Its budget will be Β£148 billion a year 바카라 사이트 Β£3,000 for every man, woman and child in this country.
Yet air pollution causes around 36,000 deaths each year, and puts extra, preventable strain on the NHS through increased incidents of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and child asthma.
Surely we can afford to stop killing ourselves with entirely preventable filth, and give every child clean air, no matter where they live, so we can give every child the best possible start in life.
Much of the technology exists, and where it doesn바카라 사이트t, let바카라 사이트s invent it.
Every new development and new technology should be clean by design 바카라 사이트 like the NHS is leading the way on.
We all have a part to play. Cycling or walking short journeys instead of driving not only helps our own health, it reduces the health risk to others by helping cut air pollution.
But this isn바카라 사이트t something we can each do alone. It takes concerted, far-sighted government action, like the visionary action being proposed today by my brilliant friend Michael Gove.
That바카라 사이트s why we are working so closely together. It바카라 사이트s why I feel so strongly about these plans. For your children and for mine.
I바카라 사이트m very proud to do my bit, proud of this Conservative government demonstrating bold, progressive, energetic, popular action this day to improve the lives of millions, to deliver for our citizens, and make Britain fit for the future.