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Green pressure groups are saying that Ireland needs to follow the lead of the C40 Mayors' Group and begin rolling back tax laws that promote the sale of diesel cars, in the interests of public health. "Globally, Europe is a diesel island. In the US and Japan diesel cars account for less than five per cent of new sales. Europe, where diesel makes up 50 per cent of new sales, is an outlier, and Ireland is way out on a limb with diesel accounting for 70 per cent of new sales" said James Nix of Green Budget Europe, adding that "Ireland needs to get back on track, shifting car sales away from diesel and on to electric vehicles and hybrids. The case to reform the existing profile of Irish car sales, phasing diesel down in a planned way, is overwhelming."
The mayors of Paris, Madrid, Mexico City and Athens have jointly pledged to ban all diesel-engined cars from their cities by 2025 - a mere eight years away. The commitment was made at the C40 Mayors' Summit in Mexico City. According to World Health Organisation data presented at the summit, three million deaths worldwide each year are attributed to air pollution, of which diesel engined vehicles are a prime source.
"Mayors have already stood up to say that the climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face," said Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and new Chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. "Today, we also stand up to say we no longer tolerate air pollution and the health problems and deaths it causes - particularly for our most vulnerable citizens. Big problems like air pollution require bold action, and we call on car and bus manufacturers to join us."
"The quality of the air that we breathe in our cities is directly linked to tackling climate change," said Mayor of Madrid Manuela Carmena. "As we reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated in our cities, our air will become cleaner and our children, our grandparents and our neighbours will be healthier."
The C40 group, a network of the world's megacities committed to addressing climate change, has said that it will create a global petition to try and force car makers to take a greater lead on tackling air quality and pollution, and circumvent national governments and organisations such as the EU to do so. Many major cities are now aware of their increasing political clout, thanks to their exploding populations and wealth, and are keen to keep up the pressure on car makers at a time when governments seem keen to create loopholes and allow deferred timeframes for manufacturers to meet more stringent limits.
Paris had already begun to implement anti-diesel policies in the wake of the 'Dieselgate' scandal in which the European car industry currently finds itself embroiled. It had already been announced that older diesel-engined cars and trucks would be prevented from entering the city and that incentives to switch from diesel to electric power would be increased. London too is getting in on the game with recently-elected London mayor Sadiq Kahn introducing a €10 surcharge to the existing congestion charge for vehicles that don't meet the 2005 Euro4 emissions regulations.
Speaking to RTE News, Alan Nolan from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, said that it was potentially possible for Dublin to become a diesel-free zone within ten years, but that it would take a great deal of effort and education to do so.
Advocates of diesel power have hit back at the proposed bans. Allen Schaeffer, the Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum (USA), said that "the pledge by the four mayors to ban diesel or any other technology may make for a good headline but it is not good public policy. It runs against the popular consumer choice, it may make air quality worse, and it will likely put achieving climate change objectives further out of reach. In contrast, the five African nations that recognise the opportunity for bringing in cleaner technology and the need for ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel will move forward. In the United States, cleaner diesel fuel and new diesel engines now achieve near-zero emissions and are an important part of the strategy to achieve cleaner air and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The new diesel technology also meets the high fuel economy needs of consumers without sacrificing vehicle performance or mobility. The newest generation of clean diesel technology virtually eliminates emissions while still achieving low CO2 emissions."
Those African nations are Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Nigeria and Benin who have issued a joint statement saying that they will no longer accept imports of poor quality diesel. The four countries hope that "this will enable them to dramatically improve air quality and the health of their citizens through embracing clean diesel fuel and technology, not banning it."