The main regulations covering air pollution in the UK currently consist of a combination of retained EU law, the Environment Act 2021, and specific national strategies for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The framework primarily focuses on regulating ambient air concentrations of pollutants, national emission ceilings, and local authority management of air quality hotspots
Air Quality Strategy (AQS) brought under the Environment Act 1995, sets levels for nine pollutants to protect human health or the environment. Clean Air Act 1993: This Act empowers local authorities to establish Smoke Control Areas, regulate industrial grit and dust, and control emissions of dark smoke from chimneys. Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016: These regulations govern emissions from industrial sites, including large power stations, waste incinerators, and smaller industrial processes.
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Key UK Air Pollution Regulations (2026):
The Environment Act 2021: This act established a new domestic framework for environmental governance after leaving the EU. It created the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) to hold the government to account on environmental law and required the setting of legally binding long-term air quality targets.
Environmental Targets (Fine Particulate Matter) (England) Regulations 2023: Under the Environment Act 2021, these regulations set two targets to be met by 2040:
Annual Mean Concentration Target: A limit of 10 or lower for fine particulate matter
Population Exposure Reduction Target: A 35% reduction in population exposure to compared to 2018 levels.
The Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 (and amendments): These retain EU law, setting legally binding "limit values" and "target values" for ambient concentrations of pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide.
National Emission Ceilings Regulations 2018: These regulations set legally binding national emission reduction commitments for five key pollutants: ammonia, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs),
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