The study also showed Bradford’s young people were regularly exposed to pollution levels that exceed World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.
According to Born in Bradford the city has double the concentration of air pollutants than the WHO limit.
“Our young people are very aware of air pollution levels. More than a third had rated Bradford’s air quality as poor or very poor,” Yang said.
“They also noted air pollution was particularly bad during the school run due to the number of cars.
“They talk about air pollution as something that they can see and that they can smell. And they talked about the high levels of asthma in the city and how levels of air pollution just do not help,” she added.
Martha said it was particularly noticeable when she was walking to and from school.
“For younger people, growing up in the area, growing up with more air pollution around you, it’s just going to massively negatively affect your future life with, like, lung diseases and stuff,” she says.
But this awareness does not necessarily lead to despair, says Yang.
“They want to focus on positives that could encourage people to want to support and protect nature,” she says.
“We know young people in Bradford are really proud of their local area and they are experts in their own experiences. So it is important that we listen to them.
“We have a very young, diverse and vibrant population in Bradford. And if we genuinely involve them in planning transport, green spaces and healthy neighbourhoods, then Bradford could become a model for how cities respond to environmental challenges in a community-led way.”
