The purpose of Cleaner Air for Scotland – The Road to a Healthier Future.

The purpose of Cleaner Air for Scotland – The Road to a Healthier Future (CAFS) 2015 is to provide a national framework which sets out how the Scottish Government and its partner organisations propose to achieve further reductions in air pollution and fulfil legal responsibilities. CAFS outlines the contribution that better air quality can make to sustainable development whilst improving health and the natural environment and reducing health inequalities for the citizens of Scotland.
Section 1, Introduction: introduces CAFS, sets out the multiple benefits of reducing air pollution and explains how air quality fits into wider Scottish Government policy. Section 2, Structure: sets out the mission, vision and objectives of the strategy. Finally, this section describes the leadership and governance of CAFS, outlining the procedure for monitoring and reporting on its implementation. Section 3, Setting the Scene: sets out the main causes of air pollution and explains why it is still a problem. It provides a brief summary of the main Scottish and European legislation on air quality and explains the interactions between air quality and the wider environment. Sections 4 to 9 set out, for each of the six key objectives, the impacts of air quality, the current situation and the actions proposed to address these issues. Section 10, National Modelling Framework: outlines the proposed National Modelling Framework (NMF), which is intended to provide a standard air quality assessment methodology for use across Scotland. Section 11, National Low Emission Framework: introduces the National Low Emission Framework (NLEF). The framework sets out a procedure for local authorities to determine effective measures for addressing air quality issues in their areas. Section 12, Key Performance Indicators: lists the Key Performance Indicators local and central government will use to report progress on their respective roles in implementing CAFS.
The mission of the Strategy is to protect and enhance health, wellbeing, environment, placemaking and sustainable economic growth through improved air quality across Scotland. The objectives a cross-sectoral and include: 1) Transport: A Scotland that reduces transport emissions by supporting the uptake of low and zero emission fuels and technologies; 2) Legislation and Policy: A Scotland where all European and Scottish legal requirements relating to air quality are as a minimum complied with; 3) Communication: A Scotland where all citizens are well informed, engaged, and empowered to improve our air quality; 4) Health: A Scotland which protects its citizens from the harmful effects of air pollution, reducing health inequalities; 5) Placemaking: A Scotland where air quality is not compromised by new or existing development; 6) Climate Change: A Scotland that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and achieves its renewable energy targets whilst delivering co-benefits for air quality.