Government ban on petrol and diesel cars ‘doesn’t go far enough’, says UK adviser

Writing in the Guardian newspaper, Professor Frank Kelly, chair of the UK Government’s Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, says fewer not cleaner vehicles are needed to tackle the UK’s air pollution crisis, plus more cycling and walking and better transit systems. The Government recently released its Air Quality Plan, in which it announced that it will ban all petrol and diesel vehicles (including hybrids) from 2040, with only electric vehicles available after that.
August 7, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Writing in the Guardian newspaper, Professor Frank Kelly, chair of the UK Government’s Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, says fewer not cleaner vehicles are needed to tackle the UK’s air pollution crisis, plus more cycling and walking and better transit systems.


The Government recently released its Air Quality Plan, in which it announced that it will ban all petrol and diesel vehicles (including hybrids) from 2040, with only electric vehicles available after that.

Kelly said that, while the ‘switch to electric vehicles is a signal for real change and is the direction we need to go’, the government’s plan, does not go nearly far enough. “Our cities need fewer cars, not just cleaner cars,” he says.

“One issue is that electric vehicles will not sufficiently reduce particulate matter (PM), the other toxic pollutant emitted by road transport. This is because PM components include not only engine emissions, but also a contribution from brake and tyre wear and road surface abrasion. Governments don’t currently pay much attention to PM, but it is in fact highly polluting, with strong links to cardiopulmonary toxicity.”

The UK is one of 17 EU countries breaching annual targets for nitrogen dioxide, a problem which has been made worse by the failure of the European testing regime for vehicle emissions, according to ITM Power. It recently called on the government to provide equivalent financial support for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) infrastructure as it has already provided for plug-in battery electric vehicle (BEV) infrastructure.

Kelly said he was encouraged by changing attitudes to car ownership. He noted, “Younger Londoners are increasingly replacing little-used vehicles with car club membership and ride-sharing apps.” However, he said we must also champion the value of exercise and continue to make public transport the convenient option.

Air Quality & Weather Systems

Related Content

  • November 27, 2015
    Car emissions campaigners turn sights on Renault
    Renault's flagship Espace minivan released toxic diesel emissions 25 times over legal limits in a Swiss study, despite complying with EU tests carried out at unrealistically low engine temperatures, a German environmental group said this week. According to Reuters, the tests commissioned by the DUH group, which have not been independently verified, follow Volkswagen's admission that it used illegal ‘defeat devices’ to cheat diesel emission regulations. In a statement, Renault said it contested the fin
    Read More
  • April 29, 2016
    VW and Shell try to block EU push for electric cars
    VW and Shell have united to try to block Europe’s push for electric cars and more efficient cars, saying biofuels should be at heart of efforts to green the industry instead. The EU is planning two new fuel efficiency targets for 2025 and 2030 to help meet promises made at the Paris climate summit last December. But executives from the two organisations launched a study on Wednesday night proposing greater use of biofuels, CO2 car labelling, and the EU’s emissions trading system (ETS) instead.
    Read More
  • October 23, 2017
    T-Charge introduced to older vehicles in London to tackle toxic air pollution
    To combat thousands of premature deaths caused by air pollution in London, up to 34, 000 polluting vehicles travelling into Central London every month may have to pay the T-Charge £10.00 ($13.00) which will operate on top of the Congestion Charge £11.50 ($15.00). Launched by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, the T -Charge applies to drivers of pre-Euro 4 vehicles that do not meet the PM and NOx emissions and has come into effect from 7.00am on 23 October 2017.
    Read More
  • January 28, 2016
    Four UK cities awarded funding to drive green car revolution across
    Four cities have been awarded significant funds to promote green vehicle technology after successfully bidding for a share of a multi-million pot created to support the take-up of plug-in electric cars across the UK. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced the winners of the Go Ultra Low City Scheme, after the successful cities proposed a number of initiatives to support greener vehicles as part of a government competition.
    Read More

Highlighted Content