Chartres, J. (1974). North-west pollution control sought.
The Times 10 January, p4.
On this day in 1974, the Times reported that “A unified system of control over all forms of pollution, including smoke and aircraft noise, is called for in a report issued… today. It follows a three-year study in the Greater Manchester area.” [this one]
Why this matters.
Catastrophically bad air quality is not new. There have been bans (unenforced) on the burning of “sea coal” in London waaaaaaaaay back in the day (1500s), and the foul air of the industrial cities had been seen as a sign of progress and virtue (but not perhaps by those who had no choice but to breathe it).
With the Clean Air Act of 1956 – and technological developments – the sheer amount of visible crap in the air was decreasing. But it’s not just the stuff you can see that matters.
From the early 1970s the “local” concerns started to join up with global ones. Then it became about acid rain, then ozone – and finally, the biggie that we are not fixing.
What happened?
Not much, because here we still are. And Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is probably going to develop a serious case of the cold feets about the (already weak) “Clean Air Zone.”
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