The Mayor of London and TfL are helping to improve air quality for everyone's health.
Poor air quality, mainly caused by polluting vehicles, is impacting the health of Londoners.
Londoners are developing life-changing illnesses such as cancer, asthma, lung disease, and recent reports have shown a link between air pollution and an increased risk of developing dementia.
Transport for London (n.d.)
…car dependency fosters a spectrum of health and social issues, including congestion, road injuries and fatalities, psychological distress, and sedentary lifestyles that increase susceptibility to obesity and chronic diseases.
Ding et al., 2024
…incorporating broader co-benefits including non-climatic and non-energy focused benefits of low carbon measures. These include health benefits from better air quality and provision of active transport, improved "liveability" and the creation of local jobs.
Karim et al., 2017
…associations between higher wellbeing and climate action related improvements in ontological security, health, satisfaction with social life, physical activity, perceived value of citizens, and availability of high satisfaction jobs.
Becvarik et al., 2024
People do not necessarily vote in their self-interest. They vote their identity. They vote their values. They vote for who they identify with.
Lakoff, 2014, p. 35
They are people who understand the world differently and have a different view of what is right.
Lakoff, 2014, p. 15
Facts matter enormously, but to be meaningful they must be framed in terms of their moral importance. […] If the facts don't fit the frames in your brain, the frames in your brain stay and the facts are ignored or challenged or belittled.
Lakoff, 2014, p. 15
…emphasizing the scientific consensus [can] elicit negative reactions among people who are primed to interpret climate change messages as alarmist, antibusiness, and indicative of a liberal political agenda.
Dearing & Lipinski, 2020, p. 2176
The mere mention of terms such as climate change, fossil fuels, or global warming can elicit prior opinions and feelings that prime individuals to interpret the new information in light of this prior recalled context. […] The result is simple reinforcement and political stalemate.
Dearing & Lipinski, 2020, p. 2178
Emphasizing the health threats of climate change can lessen differences of opinion across political divides. And avoiding mention of the carbon mitigation benefits of a multisolving innovation to instead draw attention to its potential health outcomes will be more effective when communicating with people who are negatively predisposed to messages about climate change.
Dearing & Lipinski, 2020, p. 2178
Schemes like the ULEZ have also been shown to reduce the number of vehicles that are on the road, for example, by encouraging people to switch to walking, cycling or public transport, and reduce air pollution and carbon emissions in this way.
Greater London Authority, 2024, p. 10
In such a strategy, innovation advocates and policy entrepreneurs use formative evaluation research to ascertain the positive meanings and associations that characterize the beliefs of a segment of potential adopters. They then craft messages that are framed in those terms and referents for those community leaders, instead of developing campaign messages that seek to overtly persuade by changing beliefs and values through repetition, facts, or appeals to authority.
Dearing & Lipinski, 2020, p. 2178
Agius, C., Rosamond, A. B., & Kinnvall, C. (2020). Populism, ontological insecurity and gendered nationalism: Masculinity, climate denial and Covid-19. Politics, Religion & Ideology, 21(4), 432-450.
Alice Goss Travel. (2023, September 4). Anti ULEZ Protests London. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hZghjbFe1w
Becvarik, Z. A., & White, L. (2024). The health and wellbeing co-benefits of policies and programs to address climate change in urban areas: A Scoping review. Environmental Research Letters.
Bittle, J. (2024). Caving on climate: Kathy Hochul axes congestion pricing in New York. Grist. https://grist.org/transportation/kathy-hochul-congestion-pricing-new-york/
Dearing, J. W., & Lapinski, M. (2020). Multisolving innovations for climate and health: Message framing to achieve broad public support: Article examines innovations for climate and health. Health Affairs, 39(12), 2175-2181.
Ding, D., Luo, M., Infante, M. F. P., Gunn, L., Salvo, D., Zapata-Diomedi, B., … & Nguyen, B. (2024). The co-benefits of active travel interventions beyond physical activity: a systematic review. The Lancet Planetary Health, 8(10), e790-e803.
Greater London Authority. (2024). London-wide ULEZ Six Month Report. https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/environment-and-climate-change/environment-and-climate-change-publications/london-wide-ulez-six-month-report
Haines, A. (2017). Health co-benefits of climate action. The Lancet Planetary Health, 1(1), e4-e5.
Karim, S. M., Thompson, S., & Williams, P. (2017). Co-benefits of low carbon policies in the built environment: an investigation into the adoption of co-benefits by Australian local government. Procedia engineering, 180, 890-900.
Lakoff, G. (2014). The all new don't think of an elephant!: Know your values and frame the debate. Chelsea Green Publishing.
MacNaughton, P., Cao, X., Buonocore, J., Cedeno-Laurent, J., Spengler, J., Bernstein, A., & Allen, J. (2018). Energy savings, emission reductions, and health co-benefits of the green building movement. J. Expo. Sci. Environ. Epidemiol, 28(4), 307-318.
Newell, R., Dale, A., & Roseland, M. (2018). Climate action co-benefits and integrated community planning: uncovering the synergies and trade-offs. The international journal of climate change: impacts and responses, 10(4), 1.
Reynolds, P. (2024, April 16). Magnificent City Transformations: 10 Before & After Photos. Discerning Cyclist. https://discerningcyclist.com/city-transformations-before-after/
Transport for London. (n.d.).Why do we have a ULEZ?.https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/why-we-have-ulez
Valentine, S. (2024). London saw a surprising benefit to fining high-polluting cars: More active kids. Grist. https://grist.org/cities/london-fining-polluting-cars-more-active-kids/
Watts, N., Adger, W. N., Agnolucci, P., Blackstock, J., Byass, P., Cai, W., … & Costello, A. (2015). Health and climate change: policy responses to protect public health. The Lancet, 386(10006), 1861-1914.
Workman, A., Blashki, G., Bowen, K. J., Karoly, D. J., & Wiseman, J. (2018). The political economy of health co-benefits: embedding health in the climate change agenda. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(4), 674.
Xiao, C., Scales, J., Chavda, J., Dove, R. E., Tsocheva, I., Wood, H. E., … & Panter, J. (2024). Children's Health in London and Luton (CHILL) cohort: a 12-month natural experimental study of the effects of the Ultra Low Emission Zone on children's travel to school. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 21(1), 89.>
Zivarts, A. (2024). When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency. Island Press.