Planning the end of the diesel and gasoline engine

The UK’s Conservative government has announced a total ban on the sale of gasoline or diesel vehicles from 2040, joining other European countries with similar plans such as France, which aims to accompany it in addition to a total ban on coal in 2025; the Netherlands, which has set a 2025 deadline; or Norway, which, while saying it won’t impose a total ban in 2025, does say it will restrict fossil fuels to the point of making them a very unattractive option (probably more than enough for the country that leads the adoption of electric vehicles worldwide). Four major cities, Athens, Mexico City, Madrid and Paris, have announced that they are studying plans to ban diesel vehicles in their central areas.

The response to the British government’s proposals has largely been negative: a smokescreen, and that 23 years is far too long and that at this rate, the United Kingdom could become one of the last countries in Europe to abandon fossil fuels.

Europe seems increasingly determined to set a deadline for the elimination of diesel and gasoline engines, which, according to some studies, are responsible for the deaths of some three million people a year. Following Volvo’s announcement it is to partially withdraw its diesel and gasoline engines and to opt for hybrid and 100% electric vehicles, other firms have followed suit with similar plans, while calling for measures to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.

Can something so crucial to the future of the planet really be left for 23 into the future? Announcing a ban on the sale of diesel and gasoline vehicles in 2040 assumes that, as of that year, there could still be several decades over which the owners of those vehicles could stretch out their life and continue to pump noxious fumes into the atmosphere. In response, some commentators are arguing we need a radical transformation of the industrythat would see the end of sales to private owners, and instead regulate car use through fleets.

The British government’s announcement is undoubtedly, a step in the right direction. But it is a very short step, a deeply conservative time frame that reduced its political dimension. That said, more and more countries are determined to end the age of the internal combustion engine, which is a good thing. The issue comes down to what is best for the greater good. Now what our governments need to do is stop thinking about winning votes and start focusing on introducing measures that will be unpopular at first, but that will be in everybody’s interests in the longer term.

(En espa?ol, aquí)