LONDON — In a groundbreaking civil case, the British government settled out of court Thursday with the mother of a 9-year-old girl who was the first to have “air pollution” recorded as a cause on her death certificate.
Environment Minister Emma Hardy met with the family and apologized on the behalf of the government, although she did not offer any new policy commitments.
The girl, Ella, died in 2013. She lived with her family on a heavily trafficked roadway in Lewisham, a neighborhood in southeast London. She began suffering from asthma at age 6 and died of a severe asthma attack at age 9.
During those three years, Ella went to the hospital more than 30 times for breathing problems.
In the years since Ella’s death, vast swaths of London have been declared an “Ultra Low Emission Zone,” meaning that vehicles that do not meet tough emissions standards must to pay a $16 daily charge to drive within the zone.
London and other cities in Britain have also implemented widespread speed limits of 20 mph to curb congestion and installed thousands of charging stations to power electric vehicles.
Many drivers dislike the speed limits and emission charges. In the July election, the former prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and his Conservative Party campaigned to roll back the pollution controls. They lost the election in a landslide.
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