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• Air pollution and climate change are intertwined. For example, the shifts in weather patterns due to climate change may cause more ozone to be produced at ground level, which harms our health. Increased ozone levels then contribute to more warming. • Sometimes what is good for one of these problems is bad for the other. Diesel-fuelled vehicles cut down on carbon dioxide but they increase pollution from particulates, which damage health. • On the other hand, many strategies to decrease air pollution are also ways to slow down climate change. We can make this happen by: ° using less energy ° using energy more efficiently ° burning less oil, gas, coal and wood, while making more use of renewable energy sources ° using hybrid and low emission vehicles ° developing and using technology that captures carbon from power plants and factories, before it is released into the air. If we act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to target levels by 2050, we can have a real impact. An analysis for the European Commission suggests that, each year in the UK, this would prevent the following impacts related to local and regional air pollutant exposure: • 5,700 deaths • 1,600 hospital admissions for lung and heart problems • 2,400 new cases of bronchitis. Reducing air pollution would also allow vulnerable people to be more active, take less medication, and live longer. The economic value of these benefits would add up to €3.9 billion per year. © Royal College of Physicians 2016 93 7 Summary

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