Emissions falsified for years, proving higher everywhere. It causes 10,000 deaths a year and generates more greenhouse gases than other vehicles. Here is why it is time to make diesel illegal.
It is time to say goodbye to diesel. There are no more excuses. Following the dieselgate scandal — the investigation that showed how car emissions had been falsified by "clever" software — an analysis carried out by Transport & Environment, the European network representing 50 organisations for sustainable transport, now also demonstrates that diesel-powered cars emit 3.65 tonnes more CO2 emissions over their entire life cycle than an equivalent petrol car. Exactly the opposite of what some car manufacturers have always claimed.
The report Diesel: the true (dirty) story examines in detail the climate impact of diesel-powered cars and demonstrates that this is due primarily to the diesel refining process, which is more energy-intensive than that of petrol, to greater use of materials in engine production, to the higher emissions of first-generation biodiesels present in the fuel blend, and to greater distances driven as a result of the fuel's lower cost.
"Europe must now look ahead and accelerate the transition towards clean and electrified vehicles and consign diesels to museums"
"Dieselgate has already revealed that diesel cars are the main cause of the production of toxic nitrogen dioxide in European cities, which is killing 68,000 Europeans every year," said Julia Poliscanova, clean vehicles manager. "Contrary to what the industry has claimed, we have learned that diesel cars are worse for the climate than their petrol equivalents and do not contribute to meeting CO2 emissions reduction targets. Europe must now look ahead and accelerate the transition towards clean and electrified vehicles and consign diesels to museums".
Despite this, the market speaks clearly: seven out of ten cars sold in Europe run on diesel, where approximately 50 per cent of the total number of cars is powered by this type of fuel. Enormous figures when compared with other countries: 2 per cent in China, 1 per cent in the United States, 15 in India. According to the report, the cause should be sought in the different taxation of diesel (between 10 and 40 per cent lower than petrol), in the possibility afforded by European laws to emit more NOx compared to petrol, and in inadequate CO2 regulations that have applied weaker measures to car manufacturers producing larger and heavier diesel vehicles.
Not only enemies of the climate. Diesel cars are responsible for thousands of premature deaths. And Italy — in particular the Po Valley — is the worst-affected country. This was revealed by the study "Impact of excess NOx emissions from diesel cars on air quality, public health and eutrophication in Europe", published simultaneously with the Transport & Environment report. The research demonstrates with data the impacts of excess nitrogen dioxide emissions on the health of Europeans. And the figures are striking: 10,000 premature deaths due to fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
"Around 50 per cent of these could have been avoided if the limits had also been studied during on-road driving. And if NOx emissions had been on a par with those of petrol vehicles, premature deaths would have been reduced by 80 per cent," the report states. A deliberate and repeated massacre, kept hidden from public opinion.
"A concerted effort is needed on two fronts. On one hand, the government — and the Ministry of Transport in particular — must encourage the use of alternatives to diesel vehicles and, more broadly, to private cars, and make checks and incentives truly effective and efficient," explains Anna Gerometta of the association Cittadini per l'Aria. "On the other, local councils must clear their streets of these engines, encouraging different transport habits and practices in collaboration with citizens and businesses, and not merely through simple bans, thus safeguarding the health of their residents." There is no other alternative if we want to protect our health.