Studies in the politics of environmental protection: The historical roots of the british clean air act, 1956: III. The ripening of public opinion, 1898-1952

Abstract

This is the last of three articles about the campaign to abate smoke in the cities of England which began early in the 19th century and culminated in the Clean Air Act 1956. It describes the third sustained wave of activity by lobbies for smoke abatement and the way the public conscience was raised to a level which made it practicable to bring in laws to control domestic as well as industrial smoke. The impediments to this evolution of public opinion were (a) social: The Englishman’s sentimental attachment to an inefficient and wasteful way to heat and cook in his home; (b) technological: The practical difficulties in producing a solid smokeless fuel which could be used in an open grate; and (c) administrative: The difficulties in enforcing laws against smoke when smoke could be neither defined nor measured with the precision necessary in a court of law. © 1977 Heyden © Son Ltd.