Ella’s Law, a campaign inspired by the tragic death of nine-year-old Ella Roberta Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, seeks to enshrine the right to breathe clean air as a fundamental human right in UK law. Ella, who lived close to London’s busy South Circular Road, tragically died from an asthma attack in 2013, with a coroner’s 2020 inquest concluding that high traffic-related air pollution, particularly nitrogen dioxide and fine particulates, was a direct contributory factor to her death. This landmark decision was the first in the UK to officially recognise air pollution as a cause of an individual’s death, underscoring the urgent need for robust government action on air quality.

The campaign, led passionately by Ella’s mother, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, alongside political allies including Green Party peer Siân Berry, has driven the drafting of Ella’s Law. The proposed Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill sets out comprehensive measures to tackle the health and environmental impacts of air pollution. It calls for a ‘One Air’ approach that addresses all sources of harmful pollutants equally—including industry emissions, vehicle exhausts, and solid fuel burning such as coal, wood, and charcoal, which local assessments, including in Brighton and Hove, reveal to contribute significantly to premature deaths and respiratory illnesses such as asthma.

Brighton, despite its coastal location, still faces challenges with air pollution, worsened by emissions from surrounding areas like London and Gatwick Airport. Public Health England estimates that nitrogen dioxide pollution contributes to approximately 175 premature deaths annually within the city. The city council’s findings also highlight that solid fuel burning accounts for over 5% of deaths in people aged over 30, a fact underscoring the wider scope of pollution sources Ella’s Law aims to combat.

The bill mandates local authorities to improve air quality within five years to align with World Health Organization standards, subject to annual reviews by the Environment Agency and the Committee on Climate Change. These provisions aim to ensure that pollution reductions are monitored rigorously, with governments held accountable for meeting targets. Ella’s Law has garnered cross-party political support, with notable backing from Labour, Liberal Democrat, and Green MPs, alongside public and medical community advocacy, including a high-profile march from Great Ormond Street Hospital to Parliament by doctors on Clean Air Day 2025.

This campaign advances within the broader context of public health concerns, as illustrated by a Royal College of Physicians report revealing that air pollution causes over 500 deaths weekly and costs the UK more than £500 million each week in healthcare and productivity losses. Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s tireless advocacy, together with community activists and health professionals, has pressured governments not only to acknowledge the human cost of air pollution but to act decisively through legislation.

Recent developments include the passing of a version of Ella’s Law through the House of Lords in 2022, and ongoing efforts to incorporate it fully into UK law. The UK government has expressed deep regret regarding Ella’s death and committed to implementing an ambitious Clean Air Strategy. However, campaigners stress that real change depends on sustained political will and funding, particularly at the local council level, to address pollution hotspots and sources comprehensively.

In London, for instance, calls from Rosamund for banning wood-burning stoves reflect the need to tackle often-overlooked domestic sources of particulate pollution—highlighting how Ella’s Law extends beyond traffic emissions alone. With air pollution continuing to cause preventable illnesses and deaths across the country, the legislation represents a vital step towards protecting millions of citizens’ health, ensuring that clean air is not a privilege but a guaranteed right.

📌 Reference Map:

Source: Noah Wire Services