Amid VW scandal, polluted Paris asks if time to dump diesel

[webfact]

Amid VW scandal, polluted Paris asks if time to dump diesel
By ANGELA CHARLTON and SYLVIE CORBET

PARIS (AP) — Guidebooks rarely mention it, but Paris is one of the most polluted cities in the rich world. The Eiffel Tower is periodically shrouded in smog, and there's one key culprit: France's disproportionately heavy reliance on diesel fuel.

Critics are increasingly questioning the need for diesel vehicles, especially after last week's discovery that Volkswagen tricked drivers worldwide into thinking their diesel engines were much cleaner than they really are.

Paris' diesel-driven pollution problem is especially embarrassing for a city that's trying to be environmentally exemplary as it prepares to host crucial U.N. talks in two months on reducing emissions. City authorities banned all traffic from central Paris on Sunday and are trying to gradually forbid diesel altogether, as they try to clean up the capital's image.

But a nationwide crackdown on diesel remains taboo. And elsewhere in Europe - where the majority of new cars run on diesel engines versus just one-seventh worldwide - few are raising the alarm.

"We must stop lying to the French by inciting them to buy so-called environmentally friendly cars," Emmanuelle Cosse, head of France's green party Europe Ecologie-les Verts, said last week. "Clean diesel doesn't exist."

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association argues that new technologies and tighter regulations mean modern diesel engines are on par with gasoline counterparts. Regarding the VW revelations, the group says, "there is no evidence that this is an industry-wide issue."

Diesel engines emit about the same or lower levels of carbon dioxide, the gas that causes global warming, as gasoline-fueled engines. The problem with diesel comes down to public health: its engines emit much more nitrogen oxides than do gasoline engines.

That pollution is linked to asthma, bronchitis and increased risk of heart problems, and the World Health Organization's France-based cancer agency says diesel fumes can cause lung cancer.

But European consumers prefer diesel cars because they get better mileage and they're cheaper to fuel and maintain. In France, that's because of decades-old tax breaks and regulations that stretch from the factory floor to the gas pump, and that the government is reluctant to lift despite growing evidence of health risks. Most trucks, public buses and municipal vehicles run on diesel, too.

Dismantling France's deep and complex dependence on diesel could cost jobs and money in an economy with little maneuvering room. Governments left and right have legislated in favor of diesel since the 1960s, and industry officials fear ending the tax breaks and subsidies would drive consumers away from French cars at a time when the country is struggling to stay globally competitive.

"It makes no sense to abandon diesel," said Julie Hamez of French consumer group 40 Million Drivers. "We need to concentrate on what can be done with better technology" to reduce its damage to health and the environment.

But the Volkswagen scandal has raised new questions about carmakers' efforts to make less-pollutant engines. Other carmakers have faced similar accusations - including France's own Renault, among seven companies fined by U.S. environmental authorities in 1998 for cheating on emissions tests.

The former head of France's national air pollution agency Airparif, Jean-Felix Bernard, said he hopes the Volkswagen revelations prompt tougher European pollution rules - and especially tougher enforcement.

"We knew that air pollution has a very large cost for global public health," he said. "There can be a very large economic cost when big companies are having fun by rigging the figures."

French Environment Minister Segolene Royal, trying to be "exemplary" ahead of the U.N. climate change talks in Paris, ordered random checks on 100 French cars to ensure they're not deceiving emissions monitors.

France woke up to its diesel problem after Paris was choked with rough pollution spells over the past two years, prompting the city government to briefly restrict car use. At one point, Paris registered higher levels of nitrogen oxides than smoggy Beijing. Paris and its suburbs have few factories left - meaning a significant source of that pollution was its cars, according to the Airparif monitoring agency.

French diesel use has fallen slightly but about 70 percent still use diesel, according to a French Senate report. An environment ranking by nonprofit group Soot-Free Cities lists Paris last among 23 European cities on measures including emissions and sustainable transport.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to "eradicate diesel" by 2020, and is already taking steps in that direction. Next year all big trucks and buses made before 2001 and all cars made before 1997 will be banned from the city.

And fellow Socialists in the national government do not share her antipathy toward diesel, in part because of concerns that phasing it out would hit the poor hardest.

"When we encouraged diesel for years, when you have millions of families driving on diesel, millions of workers who go to work in their diesel cars, it's not from one day to the next that you can punish them because they made these choices, and they don't have money to replace their cars," Environment Minister Royal said recently.

She speaks of a possible "adjustment" to the tax breaks for diesel, but so far her plans for reducing reliance on diesel remain voluntary and up to mayors to pursue.

"Most people see their city through new eyes," Hidalgo, the Paris mayor, said of the no-car day that she plans to hold again next year. "Yes, we can function in a way other than cars 24 hours out of 24."
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Chris den Hond contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-28

[godden]

Viva la diesel

[Ace of Pop]

Should have never been allowed for pleasure use.

[NeverSure]

The last time I flew from New York to Paris, on approach I could barely see the top of the Eiffel Tower protruding above the smog. It was otherwise a beautiful day until we let down into that smog. There's really not much left of Europe that's worth going to see any more.

Cheers.

[thaiturkey]

BIG CITIES ARE A SPECIAL CASE and should impose restrictions to protect air quality. NGV and Electric Vehicles are obvious choices. The rapid adoption of NGV in Thailand is impressive and commendable. I believe that Germany and Scandinavia are leading Europe in applying this technology. World reserves of Natural Gas (Methane) are much greater than Oil. Furthermore, it can be supplemented by Bio-gas which is a renewable resource. There are also large volumes of Methane generated by decaying garbage in municipal dumps. This is an economic energy source which should urgently be utilised, because if allowed to escape becomes a potent greenhouse gas.

There have been huge advances in diesel technology in recent years which continue today. Diesel will remain an important technology for many years to come, especially for heavy vehicles, long distance travel and remote locations, and of course agriculture.

[uksomchai]

There is talk now in the UK of charging diesel drivers £12.50 per day to drive their cars into cities. The British Government just loves fleecing the stupid British motorist at every opportunity and will get away with it when they do. I very much doubt they will get away with any such measures in France where the public there, unlike the British, are masters at letting their Government know exactly what it can and cannot get away with doing

[Thian]

The last time I flew from New York to Paris, on approach I could barely see the top of the Eiffel Tower protruding above the smog. It was otherwise a beautiful day until we let down into that smog. There's really not much left of Europe that's worth going to see any more.

Cheers.

Then you don't know where to go i guess.

There are beautifull ancient churches, buildings, museums, city's and much more that you guys don't have in the US.

We have history, culture and craftmanship. Paris is also full of it. I've never seen that in the US where the oldest building maybe is 250 years old. And the houses there are made of sheetmaterial or wood. Some wind and they start flying around. Bricklaying is an ancient profession, just like brewing beer.

[RickBradford]

"We must stop lying to the French by inciting them to buy so-called environmentally friendly cars," Emmanuelle Cosse, head of France's green party Europe Ecologie-les Verts, said last week. "Clean diesel doesn't exist."

Yet of course it is Green groups who are responsible, after enthusiastically pushing diesel because it produces (slightly) less of the demon CO2 than gasoline engines.

The Law of Unintended Consequences strikes again, a common occurrence with Green initiatives.

[Loeilad]

Essentially this is the manufacturers shooting themselves in the foot. There IS such a thing as clean diesel, but the manufacturers (I refuse to believe that VW is alone in this) chose to take the "easy" way out.

one has also to question the media's response to this scandal - it is a bit pendulum-esque to say the least.

Let's remember a few basics about diesel.

It requires much less energy to refine than gasoline

If you burn diesel the basic result is water and carbon...unfortunately the particulates and nitrogen compounds are not being removed.

As an engine, it has a lot of characteristics that make it preferable to gasoline engines - notably fuel consumption and longevity

all these features are GOOD for the environment.

What is needed is a proper testing of diesels and use of the existing and new technology to clean them up.

Oh yes, and BTW it is also worth bearing in mind that the US, where the scndal first broke, imports almost ALL of it's diesels, so any reduction in those imports directly benefits US home auto manufacturers...co-incidence?

Edited September 28, 2015 by Loeilad

[Loeilad]

There is talk now in the UK of charging diesel drivers £12.50 per day to drive their cars into cities. The British Government just loves fleecing the stupid British motorist at every opportunity and will get away with it when they do. I very much doubt they will get away with any such measures in France where the public there, unlike the British, are masters at letting their Government know exactly what it can and cannot get away with doing

Make no mistake, motoring has been heavily government subsidised in the UK since the 60s.

[uksomchai]

There is talk now in the UK of charging diesel drivers £12.50 per day to drive their cars into cities. The British Government just loves fleecing the stupid British motorist at every opportunity and will get away with it when they do. I very much doubt they will get away with any such measures in France where the public there, unlike the British, are masters at letting their Government know exactly what it can and cannot get away with doing

Make no mistake, motoring has been heavily government subsidised in the UK since the 60s.

British motoring SUBSIDISED ?????

Are you on Yabba or something ?

The British motorist far from being subsidised is fleeced at every opportunity the Government and local authorities has

[Loeilad]

There is talk now in the UK of charging diesel drivers £12.50 per day to drive their cars into cities. The British Government just loves fleecing the stupid British motorist at every opportunity and will get away with it when they do. I very much doubt they will get away with any such measures in France where the public there, unlike the British, are masters at letting their Government know exactly what it can and cannot get away with doing

Make no mistake, motoring has been heavily government subsidised in the UK since the 60s.

British motoring SUBSIDISED ?????

Are you on Yabba or something ?

The British motorist far from being subsidised is fleeced at every opportunity the Government and local authorities has

Oh dear, it always surprises me - I know it shouldn't, such is the ego-centrism of the motorist - how little people understand of government policies towards transport and how in the UK the mnotorist has been subsidised for decades. You might want to read up on that a bit before making explosive accusations.

You might even get you answer off Google which seems to be the limit of "research" for most people on ThaiVisa.

Edited September 28, 2015 by Loeilad

[Ace of Pop]

The bleatings of a lefty Brit School Teacher..

[Loeilad]

The last time I flew from New York to Paris, on approach I could barely see the top of the Eiffel Tower protruding above the smog. It was otherwise a beautiful day until we let down into that smog. There's really not much left of Europe that's worth going to see any more.

Cheers.

I'm somewhat ambivalent about this post....on one hand I think it is a wildly facile appraisal, but on the other breathe a sigh of relief that people that ignorant will be staying away.....

[copa8]

BIG CITIES ARE A SPECIAL CASE and should impose restrictions to protect air quality. NGV and Electric Vehicles are obvious choices. The rapid adoption of NGV in Thailand is impressive and commendable. I believe that Germany and Scandinavia are leading Europe in applying this technology. World reserves of Natural Gas (Methane) are much greater than Oil. Furthermore, it can be supplemented by Bio-gas which is a renewable resource. There are also large volumes of Methane generated by decaying garbage in municipal dumps. This is an economic energy source which should urgently be utilised, because if allowed to escape becomes a potent greenhouse gas.

There have been huge advances in diesel technology in recent years which continue today. Diesel will remain an important technology for many years to come, especially for heavy vehicles, long distance travel and remote locations, and of course agriculture.

True...especially considering that Thailand is still a developing country.

[uksomchai]

There is talk now in the UK of charging diesel drivers £12.50 per day to drive their cars into cities. The British Government just loves fleecing the stupid British motorist at every opportunity and will get away with it when they do. I very much doubt they will get away with any such measures in France where the public there, unlike the British, are masters at letting their Government know exactly what it can and cannot get away with doing

Make no mistake, motoring has been heavily government subsidised in the UK since the 60s.

British motoring SUBSIDISED ?????

Are you on Yabba or something ?

The British motorist far from being subsidised is fleeced at every opportunity the Government and local authorities has

Oh dear, it always surprises me - I know it shouldn't, such is the ego-centrism of the motorist - how little people understand of government policies towards transport and how in the UK the mnotorist has been subsidised for decades. You might want to read up on that a bit before making explosive accusations.

You might even get you answer off Google which seems to be the limit of "research" for most people on ThaiVisa.

Maybe instead of just spouting off about being right you could point out all the subsidies that the British motorist has and the amount they save through this because as someone who has been milked by successive Governments for years I must have missed something

[Loeilad]

British motoring SUBSIDISED ?????

Make no mistake, motoring has been heavily government subsidised in the UK since the 60s.

Are you on Yabba or something ?

The British motorist far from being subsidised is fleeced at every opportunity the Government and local authorities has

Oh dear, it always surprises me - I know it shouldn't, such is the ego-centrism of the motorist - how little people understand of government policies towards transport and how in the UK the mnotorist has been subsidised for decades. You might want to read up on that a bit before making explosive accusations.

You might even get you answer off Google which seems to be the limit of "research" for most people on ThaiVisa.

Maybe instead of just spouting off about being right you could point out all the subsidies that the British motorist has and the amount they save through this because as someone who has been milked by successive Governments for years I must have missed something

Really? - when people ask for info like that, they obviously don't have an argument themselves so they think that asking for references is some kind of substitute for their own ignorance on the subject.

If you are going to debate the matter, rather than relying on me to educate you, why don't you find out for yourself. It isn't much to ask that people come to a discussion with at least a little background knowledge of their own.