On 14 March in London, climate crisis group Mothers Rise Up led a striking demonstration at 11am, calling on the UK government to take urgent action on air pollution. The event saw parents, grandparents, and children, along with colourful oversized props – including a giant inhaler and an NHS prescription for clean air – symbolising the critical need for government intervention:
Baroness Jenny Jones of the Green Party also joined the protest at Horseferry Playground, Victoria Tower Gardens to show her support:
From 14 to 17 March 2025, parents and families across the world united in a series of powerful #OurKidsAir actions to demand clean air for all children.
Mothers Rise Up: the government must act on air pollution
Playgrounds should be safe spaces for children to play and grow.
Yet in Britain, only 1% of the country’s 43,000 playgrounds meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended air pollution limits. Across the globe, more than 93% of children breathe dangerously polluted air, putting their health and development at risk.
Young children are especially vulnerable, as they breathe twice as fast as adults and spend more time outdoors. The primary driver of this toxic air is the burning of fossil fuels for transport, heating, cooking, and industry. This underscores the urgent need for a just and rapid transition away from fossil fuels to safe, clean renewable energy:
These events precede the WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health in Cartagena, Colombia (25-27 March), where mothers from Ecuador, India, South Africa, the USA/Puerto Rico, and the UK will demand urgent policy action to secure clean air for all children.
Mothers Rise Up is urging the UK government to fast-track a fair transition away from fossil fuels and invest in clean energy solutions to protect children’s health and the environment. The mothers are calling for an end to new oil and gas extraction in the North Sea and the permanent cancellation of the Rosebank oil field project:
They are also calling for the rejection of Heathrow’s planned third runway, which would increase air and noise pollution, undermining the progress achieved through London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ):
Move faster, stop ransacking the North Sea
A recent study revealed that London’s air quality has significantly improved since the ULEZ expansion, with sharp drops in harmful pollutants, particularly benefiting the city’s most deprived areas.
Baroness Jenny Jones from the Green Party, who supported the clean air action, said:
We’re all well aware that the emissions from burning oil and gas are highly polluting, and although demand for fossil fuels is decreasing, it’s happening too slowly for the millions of us who live in towns and cities with dirty air.
Adults with lung or heart problems are badly affected, but it’s even worse for children. They are even more vulnerable and will carry the impact for the rest of their lives.
Mothers Rise Up are doing valuable work in putting pressure on our government to move faster to clean energy and stop ransacking the North Sea for oil and gas.
Dr Lorna Powell from Mothers Rise Up said:
As an urgent care doctor, I see the health effects of breathing dirty air daily. From lung disease to strokes, heart attacks and dementia – every system in our body is exposed.
Children are particularly affected, as air pollution significantly harms their physical development and even leads to behaviour problems.
We know that the vast majority of this pollution comes from burning fossil fuels like oil and gas – it’s so important to move to renewable energy sources for our health, not just our planet.
The #OurKidsAir street actions and parent delegations are being coordinated by Our Kids’ Climate, an anchor organisation for the global movement of parents, grandparents, and carers taking action on climate change to protect the children they love.
Featured image and additional images via Anna Gordon 2025
