1. INTRODUCTION
This Air Quality Strategy for Cork City outlines the actions that Cork City Council will undertake between 2021 and 2026 to reduce the concentrations of air pollutants in the city area; thereby positively impacting on the health and quality of life of residents and visitors. This Strategy builds on significant work being conducted by Cork City Council to develop a high-quality air monitoring system and to develop initiatives that will significantly lower the levels of pollutants in the air throughout the city. The strategy will be reviewed every five years and progress on measures to improve air quality set out in this strategy will be reported annually in an Annual Air Quality Report. Context Air pollution from both outdoor and indoor sources represents the single largest environmental risk to health globally. The air that we breathe has significant impacts on our health and well-being. The effects of poor air quality have been strongly felt in urban areas by contributing adversely to public health, and in ecosystems where poor air quality harms biodiversity and vegetation growth [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than six million premature deaths were caused by air pollution exposure in 2012 [2, 3]. In a recent report by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 1,300 premature deaths were attributed to poor air quality [3a]. 1.1 Diesel engine exhaust emissions, outdoor air pollution and particulate matter have all been classified by the WHO as carcinogenic to humans [4, 5]. The enormous burden of disease due to air pollution is increasingly being recognised by governments and institutions around the globe as a major public health concern. Clean air is, therefore, vital for public health. Scope of the Strategy Implementation of this Air Quality Strategy will involve the input of numerous departments within the City Council as well as contributions from external stakeholders. The actions set out to deliver the strategy have been separated into seven themes, namely; 1.2
» Health and Wellbeing » Air Quality Monitoring » Travel » Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure » Regulation and Enforcement » Green Infrastructure » Research and Innovation.
1.3 Collaboration with Stakeholders Cork City Council will work with numerous external stakeholders to develop and activate this strategy to ensure that it has the widest available expertise. Stakeholders will include: residents’ groups, workers’ groups, schools, businesses, relevant government departments, the ESB, the Environmental Protection Agency, University College Cork (UCC), Munster Technological University (MTU), Healthy Cities Ireland to name but a few.
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