Gone are the days when policy development could be siloed, with each government department responsible for its own small niche. The government faces significant environmental challenges, from improving the quality of the air we breathe to reducing CO2 emissions, ensuring clean growth — but it cannot overcome these acting through one department alone.

That’s why in 2018 the transport, environment, environmental audit and health select committees published a joint report on improving air quality. By combining our committees’ expertise we were able to put forward wide-ranging recommendations that spanned several government departments.

Climate change schemes, urban planning, public transport and fiscal incentives must be aligned with air quality goals to prevent government policy from working at cross-purposes. Only by doing so will the government realise