Let's get Britain breathing more easily again
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Your support makes all the difference.So where do we go from here? What should the Government do to help Britain breathe more easily? What action must town planners, road builders, health service managers and head teachers take as the number of children and adults with asthma continues to rise?
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So where do we go from here? What should the Government do to help Britain breathe more easily? What action must town planners, road builders, health service managers and head teachers take as the number of children and adults with asthma continues to rise?
What about the rest of us: the parents, partners and friends of asthma sufferers and those who have to live with it? What can we do?
We want to make life better in the real world. Cars will not be banned tomorrow, although some people suggest the air will only be clean when petrol and diesel vehicles are off our roads completely. Others argue such a move would be impractical and say cleaner, more efficient fossil-fuel cars are the way forward. Some say we need both. What do you think?
And what do we do to improve things in the meantime? The Independent on Sunday has some clear ideas about that. They include:
- Every school to have a clear asthma policy, so that inhalers are readily available, avoidable triggers are removed and teachers know what to do when a pupil has an attack.
- Asthma sufferers to be given a voice where decisions are made about planning, transport, health and education.
- Public funding for a major programme of research into the causes of asthma in Britain, including the emerging links with pollution.
- Ministers to set clear targets and deadlines for the introduction of low- or no-emission vehicles.
- More funding for the development of non-carbon vehicles that do not pollute, and the infrastructure people will need to use them.
- Immediate action to reduce the level of traffic on our roads – and provide viable public transport alternatives to those who presently have no choice but to use cars.
Now it's your turn
Tell us your stories about living with asthma. And give us your practical suggestions, achievable targets and long-term visions. We will add the best to our own ideas and those of other experts and activists, to form a series of demands – the basis of a campaign for real change.
Write to The Independent on Sunday Asthma Campaign, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS; or email: asthma@independent.co.uk.
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