*Caroline Russell: “Pollution is not colour blind."
The Green Party has said activists who chained themselves together on the runway of London City Airport in support of Black Lives Matter were right to highlight the unequal way pollution affects BAME communities.
Caroline Russell, London Assembly member and Green Party transport spokesperson, said:
“Pollution is not colour blind. Environmental problems tend to mirror the inequalities we see in our society, and this sadly means BAME communities are often the worst affected by environmental issues.
“Air pollution kills tens of thousands of people every year, and just today new research has revealed it is also linked to Alzheimer’s [2].
“Newham is one of Britain’s most racially diverse places and so any expansion of London City Airport, which was approved by Sadiq Khan despite huge local protest, will hit BAME people hardest.”
Notes:
1. http://www.endsreport.com/docs/20090820a.pdf
2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/05/toxic-air-pollution-particles-found-in-human-brains-links-alzheimers
http://www.endsreport.com/docs/20090820a.pdf