The British government faces a severe blow when it loses a court case about the publication of a plan regarding the air pollution. An important incident before the general election.
According to Phys.org, the High Court in Britain previously ordered to publish the government plan to tackle the air pollution by April 24, 2017. But, ministers of the British Government initially applied to the court to postpone the release of the plan until September 15, 2017. It is now clear that a general election will be held in June in the UK.
The British government cited the general election in June as the key reason behind their postpone proposal. But, their application was rejected by the High Court on 27 April. The judge ruled that the plan only can affect the local elections that will be held on May 4, 2017.
The judge ordered the British government to publish the draft plans on May 9, 2017, New Scientist reported. The High Court clearly points out that the government can't further delay in publishing the plans. The judgment was praised and welcomed by the campaigners.
ClientEarth, the non-profit environmental law organization brought this case against the British Government. Anna Heslop, the clean air lawyer of the said organization, utters that they are delighted with the Court decision. She points out that the air pollution is related to public health and not associated with any political issue.
Another group Greenpeace also praised the verdict. On the other hand, lawyers that are representing the British government say that the publication of the plan can create a huge controversy. The government earlier opines that the publication can violate the election propriety.
A Downing Street spokeswoman utters on Thursday that the British Government must consider the court's judgment and will take the next decision. Air pollution is a crucial cause of death in Britain. According to an official figure, every year, more than 40,000 people in the UK gradually perish due to this pollution. The excessive existence of the nitrogen dioxide in the air aggravates the problem.
Air pollution is truly a major problem of the modern era. It should be addressed immediately not only in the UK but other parts of the world. Every year a good number of people become the victims of major health diseases due to the said problem. Now the latest court verdict must be considered seriously by the British government to take proper initiatives accordingly.