Environmental equality

• Less than 1% of people in the least deprived areas in the South West experience 3 or more of the least favourable environmental conditions.
• This rises to 18% in the most deprived areas.

Environmental equality is a new indicator of Sustainable Development. It shows the proportion of people in graduated 10% bandings of the 2004 indices of multiple deprivation experiencing different numbers of the least favourable environmental conditions.

These conditions include ambient air pollution, industrial airborne releases, green space, habitat favourable to biodiversity, derelict land, flood risk, river water quality and housing quality.

Nationally, less than 0.5% of populations in the least deprived areas experience 3 or more environmental conditions that are ‘least favourable’. This rises to around 22% of populations in the most deprived areas.

In the South West, less than 1% of people living in the least deprived areas experience 3 or more environmental conditions that are ‘least favourable’. Around 18% of the population in the most deprived areas experience 3 or more environmental conditions that are 'least favourable'. (UK Government, 2008)

• Sustainable Development indicators

• Environmental equality indicator