Study: 5,000 ‘Dieselgate’ deaths in Europe per year
Researchers say there have been thousands of premature deaths annually in Europe because diesel cars emitted higher levels of pollution than claimed. The study comes two years after Volkswagen was caught cheating on emissions tests
avoided if emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from diesel cars on the road had matched levels measured in the lab. Volkswagen admitted installing illegal software devices in cars that reduced emissions only for the duration of tests. If diesel cars emitted as little NOx as petrol ones, almost 4,000 of the 5,000 premature deaths would have been avoided, said the authors. The countries with the heaviest burden are Italy, Germany, and France, the team added, “Resulting from their large populations and high share of diesel cars in their national fleets.”
Touted as less polluting, the share of diesel cars in Europe rose fast compared to petrol since the 1990s, and now comprise about half the fleet. There are more than 100 million diesel cars in Europe today, twice as many as in the rest of the world together, said the study authors. Diesel engines emit less planet-warming carbon dioxide than petrol ones, but significantly more NOx. Road transport, said the study authors, contributed about 40 percent of NOx emissions in the countries of the Eu-
Hulot said he would propose that a 500 to 1,000 euro incentive to switch to a less polluting vehicle, so far only available to low-income families, should be available from 2018 to all citizens who own cars with petrol engines registered before 1997 and cars with diesel engines registered before 2001. The sum will not only be for buying new cars but also relatively new secondhand vehicles with low carbon dioxide emissions, according to Reuters.
Hulot also said that for low-income households the incentive would be doubled to 2,000 euros. He added that for a low-income family buying a small second-hand car, the incentive could add up to more than half of the vehicle’s value. Some three million old cars are eligible for the conversion incentive and the ministry hopes around 100,000 of these will be replaced next year. All car owners who switch to an electric vehicle will receive a 2,500 euro switching incentive on top of a 6,000 euro subsidy if the measure is approved.