Britain just announced plans to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by the year 2040. The plan follows a similar move in France, and it will invest £1 billion towards promoting low-emissions cars, with £100 million devoted to boosting charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. More money could go to a green bus fund, cycling and walking infrastructure, and low-emission taxis.
Nitrogen oxide is plaguing the air in the United Kingdom. Earlier this year, London smashed annual air pollution limits in a mere five days – and Greenpeace said diesel vehicles were the single biggest source of air pollution in the city. Now the country could commit to ban sales of those polluting cars as part of their clean air plan. The move could even include hybrid vehicles.
Related: France to ban all diesel and petrol cars in just over 20 years
The government endeavored to move away from taxes on polluting cars, although they’d been encouraged to introduce charges for cars entering clean air zones. They wanted taxes to be a last resort, and a government spokesperson pointed to a £3 billion, around $3.9 billion, program to clean dirty air near roadways that will offer funding to advance local efforts, like retrofitting public transportation, reprogramming traffic lights, and altering road features like speed humps and roundabouts.
The clean air plan has been part of a lengthy legal battle, with the final plan due by the end of July. Environmentalists weren’t impressed with a draft report seen earlier, which some lawyers said was much weaker than they wanted. Environment secretary Michael Grove will hope for a better response, according to The Guardian, when he puts out the final document this week.
Via The Guardian
Images via Mavis CW on Unsplash and PIVISO on Flickr
