HOW much do you think about the air you breathe? For something that is so integral to our very existence, probably not that much.

But genuinely clean air is hard to find.

Across Scotland, emissions – particularly from road vehicles and construction continue to cause us problems, while solid fuel stoves and even ammonia emissions from farms are causing pollution.

And while in Clackmannanshire we maybe just on the right side of legal targets set by the Scottish Government, we will have to go further to protect our lungs.

New research released last week by experts at Imperial College London found that there was simply no safe limit for air pollution.

They found that air pollution causes harm to people at all stages of life – but that children, the elderly and those living in poverty are particularly vulnerable to ill health effects.

Their research also found that folks living in the suburbs of London were still subject to the impacts of air pollution, despite levels being significantly lower.

It's likely that more stringent targets will come in across Europe for air quality in the years ahead, we should adopt them in Scotland too.

They will be challenging to meet, but even small reductions in pollution bring health benefits.

Air quality is a public health and social justice issue and we need to see meaningful action at all levels of government that meet the scale of the challenge.

The Scottish Government has recently agreed to ramp up action on monitoring and set better targets and timescales for action in the most polluted areas.

Thanks to Greens in government, we're also seeing a shift to cleaner public transport and record investment in infrastructure for safe walking, cycling and wheeling.

If we can reach the government's target to reduce car kilometres by 20 per cent by 2030 we will drastically reduce how much pollution is pumped out into our atmosphere.

But whilst everyone has the right to clean air, currently it's a postcode lottery as to action taken on the ground.

We've seen some local authorities make real progress – from Glasgow's pollution levels dropping significantly following the introduction of the Low Emission Zone and the roll out of electric buses, to Fife's targeted action around Dunfermline seeing pollution spikes levelling out.

Across in mainland Europe, ambition is even greater – with Brussels trialling car-free streets around schools, and Lisbon trialling a city centre car ban for three months.

But we need concerted and targeted action across all Scotland's councils to ensure that everyone can enjoy the cleanest air possible.

From improving air monitoring around schools and hospitals, to measures to prevent vehicle idling, the powers are there for Local Authorities to use. There is no excuse for vehicle idling, its anti-social behaviour especially outside of schools and Clackmannanshire Council officers have the powers now to issue Fixed Penalty Notices to those who choose to ignore warnings.

All councils – including Clackmannanshire – should not wait until legal limits are breached before taking action. We have the opportunity to take action and improve our health today.