Air pollution has been a problem in London for hundreds of years. In 1952, smog killed more than four thousand people in the capital of England, forcing the government to take measures to remedy the situation. By the end of the last century, the situation had improved significantly, however, even now London continues to face the same difficulties from time to time.
Smog has been fought in London since the 14th century, when King Edward issued a decree banning the burning of coal in the city because of the strong smoke it creates. Since then, there have been many attempts to rid the capital of the United Kingdom of smog, at times the victory seemed almost won. Nevertheless, smog continues to remind of itself to the people of London to this day.
Why is this situation not observed in other cities of the world? London's problem is the occasional unfavorable weather situation. The absence of wind and temperature inversion, in which the air temperature at an altitude of several hundred meters does not drop, as is usually the case, but rises, leads to a disruption in the circulation of air currents. As a result, smoke and pollutants cannot rise upward and accumulate at low altitudes. In such a situation, even relatively small emissions create an ever increasing concentration of harmful substances.
The worst for London was the beginning of December 1952, when, as a result of a strong cold snap and the presence of an anticyclone, favorable conditions for the formation of smog were created. Industrial emissions mixed with smoke from chimneys, poisonous smoke enveloped the streets of the city. Visibility did not exceed a few meters, in some areas it dropped to thirty centimeters. The smog was dispelled four days later, during which time more than four thousand Londoners died. About eight thousand more died in the next few weeks from lung disease.
Since then, a merciless struggle has been waged against smog in London. Nowadays, the air in the capital of the United Kingdom is considered to be very clean compared to the capitals of other countries. This is facilitated by the developed system of public transport, including electrified, and the popularity of cycling among Londoners. Finally, in the capital of Britain, stoves are no longer heated the way they were heated half a century ago.
Despite the measures taken, it is still not possible to completely avoid the appearance of smog. Every time an unfavorable meteorological situation develops over the city, the content of harmful substances in the air begins to steadily rise. However, such catastrophic consequences as there were sixty years ago can no longer be in London.
