• The number of Londoners living in areas exceeding the legal limit for NO2 fell from over 2 million in 2016 to 119,000 in 2019, a reduction of 94 per cent.
• The number of state primary and secondary schools in areas exceeding the legal limit for NO2 fell from 455 in 2016 to 14 in 2019, a reduction of 97 per cent.
• In 2016 monitoring sites in London recorded over 4,000 hours above the short-term legal limit for NO2. In 2019 this reduced to just over 100, a reduction of 97 per cent.
• Between 2016 and 2019 the reduction in annual average nitrogen dioxide at roadside sites in central London was five times the national average reduction. This shows the most significant improvements in London have been driven by local, as opposed to national, policy.
• In 2016 the whole of London exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline limit for PM2.5. In 2019, for the first time, areas in outer London were within the limit. However, there is work still to be done. 99 per cent of Londoners still live in areas exceeding the WHO PM2.5 limit.
Full report: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/air_quality_in_london_2016-2020_october2020final.pdf