‘How can we make Bristol better for everyone?’

There’s a unique energy to Bristol that draws people to the city from far and wide. Its combination of creativity, independence and fun sets it apart from many other places, and there are plenty of initiatives that are making a real difference to the lives of its citizens.

Bristol’s popularity nevertheless brings challenges. Bristol City Council is projecting a population increase of around 23 per cent between 2014 and 2039, substantially higher than the national average. For Bristol to thrive, there are some significant environmental challenges which it needs to overcome but the benefits of addressing these issues are numerous.

High on the list of issues is air quality. It is estimated that around 300 premature deaths a year in Bristol are linked to air pollution. The city is regularly breaking legal standards for nitrogen dioxide, a harmful gas emitted from tail-pipe emissions.

Bristol has to develop a plan to reduce nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions, and the city is now considering a series of options based around a clean air zone in the centre of the city. This would levy a charge for the use of buses and coaches, taxis, trucks and potentially private cars. A non-charging clean air zone is also among the options.

The principle that ‘polluters pay’ must apply to Bristol’s proposals which must include all high polluting vehicles, especially private cars. A clean air zone in which polluting cars are exempt would fail to tackle the heart of the issue.

The public health and environmental impacts are so grave that we can’t continue to drive polluting cars and ignore the consequences, especially when clean alternatives already exist. These decisions can be unpopular, but we have no option if Bristol is to be a safe place that people desire to live and work in.

Any scheme must ring fence the revenue that is brought in from the Clean Air Zone to be spent on improving Bristol’s cycle lanes, public transport, electric car charging points and other forms of sustainable travel – in the same way that London’s congestion charge has worked so well.

More trees will also help improve Bristol’s air quality. There are already several initiatives in place to support tree planting, such as Talking Trees Bristol, which aims to double the city’s tree canopy by 2050. Trees are very important as they filter the air that we breathe, absorb carbon dioxide, and provide shade. People can help by planting a tree if they have a garden, getting free trees for schools or volunteering with organisations such as the Forest of Avon Trust.

In the wider environmental context, mayor Marvin Rees, has committed to Bristol becoming a carbon neutral city by 2050. The city is now seeking partnerships and investment to make that happen. It’s an ambitious target and one that needs the support of its citizens, as well as businesses and politicians. Bristol does environmental action really well – it has proactive and passionate communities and individuals that are good at making things happen as highlighted by Bristol Green Capital Partnership.

The fantastic Community Fridge Network, which enables surplus food to be shared in a communal place currently only has one outlet in Bristol but has scope to really drive down food waste across the city. I’d love to see this type of sharing for the benefit of people and planet continue to grow across the city.

A successful city is a resilient one – a place that is prepared for the future and, in particular, extreme weather events such as flash flooding. More can be done to future-proof Bristol’s buildings and infrastructure, and zero carbon homes need to be an integral part of this. The government has walked away on its commitment to this so it is now up to local authorities to demand exemplary environmental building standards.

Making Bristol a cleaner, healthier city is central to making it a better place. By harnessing citizen action and delivering bold political decisions, it can make big changes that will dramatically improve the quality of life for its people – and help combat climate change to boot.

Angela Terry is founder of One Home – a new not-for-profit website to enable and encourage climate action by providing independent and impartial advice. It provides practical solutions on all things green as well as simple guides on low-carbon lifestyle choices.