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Clean air

The summary Figure shows the proportion of indicators for which ‘Clean air’ is the primary goal that have been assigned to each assessment category, with the exact number of indicator components shown as a label on the bars.
Of the 10 indicator components, 6 showed an improvement, 2 showed little or no change and 2 showed a deterioration over the short term assessment period. Most indicator components recorded the same results over the medium and long-term time periods to those reported over the short term, where a sufficiently long time series was available to carry out these assessments.

Summary of assessment results - Clean air

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Assessment results - Clean air

Indicator component assessed Short term Medium term Long term
A1 Emissions of ammonia (NH3) in England Little or no change Little or no change Improvement
A1 Emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in England Improvement Improvement Improvement
A1 Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in England Improvement Improvement Improvement
A1 Emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) in England Improvement Improvement Improvement
A1 Emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) in England Improvement Improvement Improvement
A3 Concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air in England Improvement Not assessed Not assessed
A4 Rural background concentrations of ozone (O3) in England Deterioration Deterioration Deterioration
A5 Roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations in England Improvement Improvement Improvement
A6 Exceedances of damaging levels of nutrient nitrogen deposition on ecosystems in England Little or no change Not assessed Not assessed
A7 Area of land in England exposed to damaging levels of ammonia (NH3) in the atmosphere Deterioration Not assessed Not assessed
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Potential links - Clean air

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Potential links - Clean air

Primary goal From Indicator To Indicator Correlation Rationale
Clean air A1 Emissions for five key air pollutants A3 Concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air Positive A1 includes emissions of PM2.5. As well as being emitted directly, particulate matter can be formed in the atmosphere from reactions between other pollutants, of which SO2, NOx, NMVOCs and NH3 are the most important.
Clean air A1 Emissions for five key air pollutants A6 Exceedance of damaging levels of nutrient nitrogen deposition on ecosystems Positive Damaging nutrient nitrogen comes predominantly from ammonia (NH3) but partly nitrogen oxides (NOx) and long-range transport of air pollutants.
Clean air A1 Emissions for five key air pollutants A7 Area exposed to damaging levels of ammonia (NH3) in the atmosphere Positive A1 includes emissions of NH3
Clean air A1 Emissions for five key air pollutants A4 Rural background concentrations of ozone (O3) Positive A1 includes NOx and VOC emissions. Chemical reactions in the air involving NOX and VOCs produce the toxic gas O3.
Clean air A1 Emissions for five key air pollutants A5 Roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations Positive NOx emissions (A1) include NO2 so contributes to roadside concentrations.
Clean air A3 Concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) in the air G7 Health and wellbeing benefits Negative Long-term exposure to particulate matter contributes to the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and lung cancer.
Clean air A4 Rural background concentrations of ozone (O3) G7 Health and wellbeing benefits Negative Ozone is a gas which is damaging to human health and can trigger inflammation of the respiratory tract, eyes, nose and throat as well as asthma attacks.
Clean air A4 Rural background concentrations of ozone (O3) D1 Quantity, quality and connectivity of habitats Negative Ozone can have adverse effects on the environment through oxidative damage to vegetation.
Clean air A4 Rural background concentrations of ozone (O3) D5 Conservation status of our native species Negative Ozone can have adverse effects on the environment through oxidative damage to vegetation.
Clean air A4 Rural background concentrations of ozone (O3) E2 Volume of agricultural production Negative Ozone can have adverse effects on the environment through oxidative damage to vegetation including crops.
Clean air A5 Roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations G7 Health and wellbeing benefits Negative Short-term exposure to concentrations of NO2 can cause inflammation of the airways and increase susceptibility to respiratory infections and to allergens. NO2 can exacerbate the symptoms of those already suffering from lung or heart conditions.
Clean air A5 Roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations A4 Rural background concentrations of ozone (O3) Positive NO2 is one of the precursors to O3.
Clean air A6 Exceedance of damaging levels of nutrient nitrogen deposition on ecosystems B3 State of the water environment Negative Nutrients are a major cause of water bodies being at less than good ecological status and also affect drinking water quality. Nitrates account for 65% of the reasons for failure for those groundwaters that are protected for use for drinking water and are classed at poor status. Nitrate enters groundwater from diffuse pollution on land (mainly water run-off from agricultural land) or is deposited onto land from the air.
Clean air A6 Exceedance of damaging levels of nutrient nitrogen deposition on ecosystems D1 Quantity, quality and connectivity of habitats Negative Nutrient nitrogen deposition affects the nutrient levels and diversity of species in sensitive environments, for example, by encouraging algae growth in lakes and water courses.
Clean air A6 Exceedance of damaging levels of nutrient nitrogen deposition on ecosystems D4 Relative abundance and distribution of widespread species Negative Nutrient nitrogen deposition affects the nutrient levels and diversity of species in sensitive environments, for example, by encouraging algae growth in lakes and water courses.
Clean air A6 Exceedance of damaging levels of nutrient nitrogen deposition on ecosystems D5 Conservation status of our native species Negative Nutrient nitrogen deposition affects the nutrient levels and diversity of species in sensitive environments, for example, by encouraging algae growth in lakes and water courses.
Clean air A6 Exceedance of damaging levels of nutrient nitrogen deposition on ecosystems D6 Abundance and distribution of priority species in England Negative Nutrient nitrogen deposition affects the nutrient levels and diversity of species in sensitive environments, for example, by encouraging algae growth in lakes and water courses.
Clean air A6 Exceedance of damaging levels of nutrient nitrogen deposition on ecosystems E7 Healthy soils Negative Excess deposition of NH3 on natural ecosystems causes nutrient enrichment and changes in vegetation and soils.
Clean air A6 Exceedance of damaging levels of nutrient nitrogen deposition on ecosystems G1 Changes in landscape and waterscape character Negative Nutrient nitrogen deposition affects the nutrient levels and diversity of species in sensitive environments, for example, by encouraging algae growth in lakes and water courses.
Clean air A7 Area exposed to damaging levels of ammonia (NH3) in the atmosphere A6 Exceedance of damaging levels of nutrient nitrogen deposition on ecosystems Positive NH3 emissions can be deposited in soils or in rivers and lakes, for example, through rain. Resulting nutrient nitrogen deposition affects the nutrient levels and diversity of species in sensitive environments, for example, by encouraging algae growth in lakes and water courses.
Clean air E3 Volume of inputs used in agricultural production A1 Emissions for five key air pollutants Positive Agricultural sources make up by far the largest component in the inventory for ammonia emissions with cattle manure management, manure applied to soils and inorganic fertilizers each accounting for 20% or more of the emissions from this sector. Agriculture also contributes a small proportion to NMVOC and PM2.5 emissions.
Clean air E3 Volume of inputs used in agricultural production A6 Exceedance of damaging levels of nutrient nitrogen deposition on ecosystems Positive Agricultural sources make up by far the largest component in the inventory for ammonia emissions with cattle manure management, manure applied to soils and inorganic fertilizers each accounting for 20% or more of the emissions from this sector.
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