Cleaner Air Campaign 2026
- climatenewcastle
- Apr 4, 2023
- 2 min read
Climate Action Newcastle starts 2026 with bold plans to protect recent wins and achieve more improvements for local people, wildlife and the planet. Phase 1 tackles the uncomfortable truth about woodstoves, followed by three other vital clean air targets: find out here how you can turn these into reality for our city.
Why Does Air Quality Matter
Air pollution puts us all at risk – one breath at a time. It’s the biggest environmental risk each of us faces every day. If we could SEE it, we’d probably have tackled it far sooner. But there’s growing awareness – and much more information, so we can make a difference.
In the UK alone, air pollution is linked to up to 43,000 deaths each year due to its health impacts [1], and it is also contributing to a dramatic decline in UK wildlife [2].
Join Our Cleaner Air Challenge
Choose the ways you can make a difference to the air we all breathe! Our guide lists 5 ways we can improve the air around us. Build your own list and try out the options that best suit you, where you live and your lifestyle.
Wood-Burning Stoves
Wood-burning is now one of the biggest sources of harmful air pollution in the UK. In Newcastle most people who burn wood do so by choice, not necessity, often without realising the impact on their own health, their neighbours, and the city’s air.
Read our blog to find more information about the impact of wood-burning stoves, how you can heat your home sustainably, and what you can do if you already have a wood-burning stove.
Newcastle's Clean Air Zone (CAZ)
Newcastle's CAZ was launched in January 2023 to improve air quality to reduce the amount of older, more polluting vehicles.
Since then, air quality in Newcastle has seen a significant improvement, with data for 2024 showing that average levels of nitrogen dioxide across Newcastle had reduced by 9% since 2023 [3].
However, 2024 data also shows that pollution levels in specific areas in the city centre and Heaton continue to exceed legal limits despite improvements at both locations since 2023 [3]. Further action, alongside the CAZ, will be required to tackle these remaining pollution hotspots and ensure the city meets air quality standards in every neighbourhood.
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