Critics Dismiss Government's Plan to Ban New Petrol and Diesel Cars As 'Too Little, Too Late'

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On the same day the government released the long-awaited latest draft of its air pollution plans, the environment secretary Michael Gove was busy publicising a new headlineย policy. Andy Rowell explains on Oil Change Internationalย why the announcement has been dismissed by critics as insufficient to tackle the UK‘s burgeoning air qualityย crisis.

The UK has followed France in banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2040, as part of its plan to tackle chronic air pollution inย cities.

The government has been coming under intense pressure to act, with an estimated 40,000 people dying prematurely a year from airย pollution.

A government spokesman told the press: โ€œPoor air quality is the biggest environmental risk to public health in the UK and this government is determined to take strong action in the shortest timeย possible.โ€

They added: โ€œThat is why we are providing councils with new funding to accelerate development of local plans, as part of an ambitious ยฃ3bn programme to clean up dirty air around ourย roads.โ€

But critics have said the ban is already โ€œtoo little too lateโ€, with many highly critical of theย proposals:

The opposition Liberal Democrat shadow transport secretary, Jenny Randerson, said: โ€œAir pollution is poisoning our children and leading to causing avoidable deaths across the country. Instead of properly fighting this silent killer the government has flip-flopped, offering tax breaks for cars that they are now banning. The governments feeble attempts to tackle air pollution are too little tooย late.

She added:ย โ€œThe Liberal Democrats have called for all new diesel sales to end by 2025 and a scrappage scheme to help drivers convert to greener vehicles. We are serious about fighting air pollution, this government isย not.โ€

Former Labour leader,ย Ed Milliband, tweeted this morning that: โ€œFear that new car petrol/diesel ban in 23 years time is smokescreen for weak measures to tackle 40,000 deaths a year from air pollutionย now.โ€

The Green Party co-leader,ย Caroline Lucas, also tweeted: โ€œWelcome start but need urgent plan to cut air pollution *now* โ€“ proper clean air zones, funded diesel scrappage, invest in publicย transportโ€

Areeba Hamid, the clean air campaigner atย Greenpeace,ย added: โ€œThe high court was clear that the government must bring down toxic air pollution in the UK in the shortest possible time. This plan is still miles away fromย that.โ€

The Government plan will be released later today after it was forced in the courts to release its clean air strategy after months of legal in-fighting. A judge had ruled that the governmentโ€™s original plans wereย so bad as to be unlawful.

James Thornton, from ClientEarth, the campaign group that has pursued the government through the courts over air quality, said. โ€œA clear policy to move people towards cleaner vehicles by banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars and vans after 2040 is welcome, as is more funding for localย authorities.

He added: โ€œHowever, the law says ministers must bring down illegal levels of air pollution as soon as possible, so any measures announced in this plan must be focused on doingย that.โ€

But as I recently blogged,ย many experts believe that the internal combustion engine will not exist byย 2040.

David Bailey an industry expert told the BBC this morningย exactly the sameย thing: โ€œThis sets a very clear direction of travel, but petrol and diesel cars wonโ€™t exist byย 2040โ€.

Main image credit: Garry Knight via Flickr CC BYย 2.0

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