Across England it is estimated that 25,002 people died because of air pollution in 2010. In London alone it is estimated that nearly 3,400 died.

Jean Lambert, the Green Party’s MEP for London and a clean air campaigner, said:

“These new statistics, which show that thousands of people are dying because of air pollution, make it clear that urgent action is needed to clean up our air.

“The fact that thousands are dying because of air pollution each year should be a source of shame for Ministers. Yet, despite the mounting evidence of this major public health threat, the Government is doing far too little to reduce air pollution.

David Cameron, who last week flippantly blamed the smog entirely on Saharan Dust, should be ashamed of himself. The Government knows that the smog last week was in part caused by the high levels of pollution we have in this country, yet, shamefully, they refuse to accept responsibility. Now that these stats reveal thousands of deaths are caused by air pollution, it is time for Ministers to take this issue seriously and take urgent action to protect people’s health.”

In Ms Lambert’s London constituency 3,389 deaths in 2010 were associated with air pollution.

Public Health England’s report estimates that 7.2% of deaths in London were attributable to air pollution.

Ms Lambert, who is a founder supporter of Clean Air in London (2), went on to say:

“With almost one in 12 deaths in my London caused by air pollution it is abundantly clear that action is needed.

“We need to radically rethink the way they are dealing with air pollution. To protect people’s health we need both the UK Government and the Mayor of London to be bold in tackling air pollution – and stop trying to water down the rules.

“We need a ‘very low emissions zone’ for central London, cleaner buses, a strategy to reduce pollution from taxi exhaust, 20mph speed limits as standard in residential areas, and more steps to encourage walking and cycling.

“It’s time we recognise that air pollution is a political issue. We can clean up our air, but we need to force politicians to take the issue seriously.”

The Public Health England report is available here.

Jean’s latest report on London’s Air Quality is here .

More information about Clean Air in London is available here .

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Speaking ahead of International Roma Day, which is marked around the world tomorrow, April 8th, the London Green MEP said Roma people remain Europe’s most discriminated minority.

“We need to get serious about promoting the human rights of all – and stamping out racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism- if we are to realise full equality for Europe’s Roma minority,” she said.

“The EU has made significant efforts to do just this – but they haven’t really taken root yet.

“It remains acceptable for politicians to make racist remarks about Roma, and this in turn leads to an increase in state-sponsored discrimination, mistrust and even violence.

“The French government, for example, continues to force Roma families into homelessness and even deportation after evicting them from ‘illegal’ settlements, while children with blue eyes were forcibly taken from their Roma guardians, amid false claims of child abduction, in Ireland and Greece last year.

“And the anti-Roma rhetoric and intimidation is getting worse in some places: just this week the racist Jobbik party polled 21% in a national election in Hungary.

“All EU governments must adopt specific policies to promote the welfare of all their Roma citizens and put the necessary resources into making this happen.”

For more information on International Roma Day, click here .

Hungary’s national election took place on Sunday: it saw Fidesz leader and PM Viktor Orban re-elected with 45% of the vote, the left-win alliance Unity poll 25%, Jobbik score 21% – and the green LMP returned to parliament with 6% of the vote.

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“We are all too aware of the unacceptably high levels of poverty, inequality and environmental degradation across the African continent,” she said, in light of the EU-Africa summit taking which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“But the answers must lie in deepening dialogue, improving the accountability of big business and supporting African governments, particularly on climate change – as well as tackling issues of human rights.

“Let’s be clear – there are terrible human rights abuses taking place in some African countries: legislation outlawing homosexuality in Uganda and Nigeria are good examples, as are recent well-documented attacks on freedom of speech, recent reports of torture and disappearances and the silencing of political opposition. I was especially shocked to hear about the case of Dr Amadou Janneh who was sentenced to life in jail for printing T-shirts critical of the government in Gambia.

“But Africa is not just one place, and many African nations are facing quite different issues.

“We need to deepen and develop our relationships with different African countries to recognise the diversity across the continent.

“Climate change will be a growing background to many of these relationships – and we need a dialogue as to how Africa’s energy needs can be met without making the same mistakes as countries that industrialised some time ago.”

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Speaking before the event, the Green Party MEP, who is also a patron of the ‘Peace in Kurdistan’ group, said:

“Again, I wish the Kurdish people peace in the next year – especially in Syria, where so many have died or been forced to leave their homes.

“I wish you justice: that the murderers of your three sisters in Paris will be tracked down and punished.

“I wish you democracy and success in the elections in Turkey. I shall send that message on Twitter! Let us hope the Turkish government has realised how undemocratic it is to stop free speech, which is a basic freedom.

“I also wish you success and happiness in the year to come – and peace in your home and your community.

“I also hope that you will use your democratic right in London and will vote in the European elections on May 22. I know you will vote wisely.

“Happy Newroz.”

Background

The largest festival of the Kurdish community in the United Kingdom, Newroz marks the beginning of the Kurdish New Year and the feast of Kawa, who, according to legend, liberated the people of Kurdistan from an evil tyrant.

The celebrations, a symbol of Kurdish identity, were banned in Turkey until 2005 where thousands of people would be detained during the festivities.

Newroz – which means ‘new sun’ or ‘new day’ – marks the beginning of the Kurdish New Year, and the feast of Kawa the Blacksmith who, according to legend, liberated Kurds and many other nations of the region. It is the largest festival of Kurdish, Turkish, Turkish Cypriot and Iranian communities in the UK.

Kurds fled to Britain in large numbers about 20 years ago, mostly from Iraq and Turkey, to escape the violent suppression of their right to assert their own identity, language and culture. Marking Newroz, or new year, is not just a calendar date but a political act, because until recently Kurdish Newroz was forbidden in Turkey.

There are Kurdish regions in Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Syria, and people from all those regions are represented in London. Over 50,000 Kurds now live in London, with many from Turkey living in Hackney and many Iraqi Kurds in Hammersmith.

For more information on London’s Newroz commemoration, click here .

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Members of the Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee said the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Programme (TTIP) should not be pursued – at least until the US agrees to change its law and halt all ‘data mining’ from ‘phone and Internet use in the EU.

The investigation, set up by the committee after whistleblower Edward Snowden lifted the lid on the US PRISM project to monitor and record EU citizens’ telephone and Internet usage, condemned PRISM, which it said ‘may entail a breach of EU ctizens’ fundamental rights’.

It calls for an end to all mass surveillance, observing that privacy is not a luxury, but a fundamental right in a free and democratic society.

But Greens called for EU action to go further, establishing a ‘Digital Declaration of Independence’, ensuring that no data is collected – without express permission – on any EU citizens’ Internet or ‘phone use, that the EU ends all co-operation with the US unless and until it changes its law to prohibit all mass surveillance, and that EU states offer asylum to Edward Snowden and all US ‘whistleblowers’ shedding light on US spying activities in the EU.

Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP and a member of the Civil Liberties Committee which conducted the investigation, said: “The US has behaved abominably here – and the EU must defend the rights of its citizens’ from this unwarranted attack on their basic human rights.

“More and more of us are using the Internet, and smartphones, to access basic goods and services, and we really must be able to do so without our privacy being breached.

‘We must offer protection to everyone who sheds light on these activities, and end negotiations on TTIP, at least until the US has gauranteed such a blanket approach to hoovering up data will never be used again.”

The European Parliament as a whole will vote on the Green proposals when it considers the investigation report next month.

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Ms Lambert, London’s Green Party MEP, observed that one in three women will suffer rape or serious assault in their lifetime – and called on the EU to require tougher legislation of all its Member States to reduce this number, and require all members to properly fund services for survivors.

“I am glad to see that so many women and men took part in action at the European Parliament earlier his week to draw attention to the global One Billion Rising campaign.

“Women’s rights – and especially the right to live without fear – must be at the forefront of the EU’s struggle for human rights worldwide.”

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Although the EU can’t sign the UN Arms Trade treaty itself – only countries can sign UN treaties, MEPs now hope all 28 EU members will quickly ratify the Treaty so it can enter into force.

The Arms Trade Treaty aims to limit trade in weapons with a view to reducing the contribution of arms to not only human rights and humanitarian abuses, genocide, crimes against humanity and regional tensions, but also to organised crime and terrorism.

Weapons sales, and transfers to other states under loan agreements, must all be regulated under the terms of the Treaty, which was agreed at a UN conference on the arms trade last year.

The Treaty’s swift adoption into force due to prompt ratification by all EU countries would be a step forward for peace, according to London’s Green MEP Jean Lambert, but it’ll stop well short of the complete ban on weapon sales we need.

Speaking after MEPs agreed to back the Treaty, Ms Lambert said:

“The implementation of the Treaty is crucial. To this end, EU member states need to clearly define the term trade and transfer and to make sure that they are willing to regulate all kinds of arms transfers, as well as loans. How new weapons technologies that have changed military intervention, like drones, should be dealt with remains open unfortunately, as this technology is not covered by the ATT.

“We need to decide how we want to develop and manage the different export control regimes within the EU. There should be a single, clear and strong management structure, which is tasked with oversight, and ensuring coherence and transparency. The current division of labour between the Commission, the External Action Service, the Council and member state governments is unclear and creates confusion – we need greater clarity so that arms deals which aren’t done in one country, won’t be done by its neighbour instead. We also need a formal role for the Parliament in arms control and the implementation of all EU export rules.”

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The value of the illegal wildlife trade has risen sharply in recent years – the trade was worth a reported £15bn a year ago – and wildlife group have warned it now threatens ecosystems, political balance and safety of populations.

Although much wildlife crime occurs outside Europe – for example, almost two thirds of forest elephants in Central Africa were illegally killed between 2002 and 2012 for their ivory – the EU is often the criminals’ base and ultimate destination for the ‘poached’ wildlife trophies.

London’s Green MEP Jean Lambert, speaking after the vote, said: “Wildlife crime is big business – and it’s being carried out here in the EU by an assortment of nasty gangs, with links to the drugs and arms trades.

“As well as threatening biodiversity around the world, and some of our most-loved species’ very existence, wildlife crime is tearing communities apart and threatening political instability in some of the world’s most volatile regions.

“I am delighted MEPs have adopted this zero-tolerance approach – and I hope the European Commission and Member State governments now follow suit.”

Specifically, MEPs have backed the creation of a new EU-wide police unit, harsher penalties for wildlife criminals, mandatory destruction of illegal ivory, better training of police and prosecutors and a more unified approach by EU customs officers.

Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik told MEPs the EU will launch a public consultation on the issue next month and hold a conference on it on 10 April.

MEPs also called on the European Commission to raise the issue in talks with the EU’s international partners and make it a priority when shaping EU aid policy.

The resolution was passed overwhelmingly: by 647 votes to 14, with no abstentions.

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Introducing alternatives, and recycling more plastic, would clean up our seas, reduce litter on land, and create jobs, according to London’s Green MEP Jean Lambert.

She said that the economic potential of recycling plastics is still largely unexploited. Only 25% of plastic wastes are currently recycled.

“Better management of plastic waste could save €72 billion a year, boost the annual turnover of EU waste management and recycling firms by €42 billion and create over 400,000 jobs by 2020,” she said.

Ms Lambert, who last year considered the implications of better use of plastics on jobs for the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee, said:

“Parliament has today made clear the need for the EU to do more to tackle the pervasive problem of plastic waste and its impact on health and the environment.

“These bags are very low-hanging fruit when it comes to reducing unnecessary plastic waste, and its impact on the environment. As a number of member states have already shown, the use of these bags can be significantly reduced with effective policy-making.

“While member states should be free to go further, there should be ambitious and obligatory EU reduction targets and plastic bags should always come at a cost, otherwise plastic bag consumption will continue to grow.

“Single-use plastic bags are an outdated solution to the problem of how to take our shopping home, and I am delighted MEPs have this week voted to set a timetable for their withdrawal from use – and agreed to phase out the use most harmful types of plastics, and dangerous plastic additives (oxo-biodegradable plastics, certain phthalates and brominated flame retardants) completely.”

MEPs also called for restrictions on land-filling or incinerating plastic waste – and a review of EU packaging legislation.

The resolution will now be considered by the European Commission, which is expected to publish legislative proposals later this year.

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