A 'breathable billboard' has been launched to help encourage local authorities to tackle air pollution as part of the COVID-19 recovery strategy.
The billboards from Global Action Plan have flowering lungs that react in real-time to localised pollution data to show if air quality is good or approaching illegal levels.
They have been installed at three locations in London and use data from the Clean Air Hub.
A new report and campaign toolkit have also been launched to encourage local authorities to build back cleaner air. The report - funded by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity - argues there is a detrimental health link between COVID-19 and air pollution.
Larissa Lockwood, head of air quality at Global Action Plan said: 'As this report shows, the case for action on air pollution has never been greater, or more important, because air pollution looks to be making us more vulnerable to this coronavirus. COVID-19 is unlikely to be the last pandemic we see, so it is imperative that we future proof our health by cleaning up our air.
'And we know that cleaner air is possible – during lockdown we smelt and felt it as air pollution levels plummeted, and people want to keep it that way. We saw massive shifts towards low pollution behaviours as people worked from home and walked and cycled instead of driving short trips.'
