Paris has reported a major increase in smog over the past decade, forcing city officials to introduce measures to decrease exhaust emissions from cars. (Photo: Nelson Minar/Flickr/cc)
To Great Applause, Paris Announces Combustion Engine Ban by 2030
New goal would accelerate existing plan to do away with gas-powered cars and trucks
Receiving great applause from climate advocates, Paris officials announced a new goal on Thursday to ban gas-powered cars from its streets by 2030.
The proposal would accelerate existing efforts to reduce air pollution in the city after French President Emmanuel Macron promised to ban the sale of vehicles with combustion engines by 2040.
Under the rule, only electric cars would be allowed in the city. Paris is already home to an electric car-sharing service, Autolib, which has become wildly popular since its launch in 2011 with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 20 percent over a decade.
"Time is simply pressing," said Christophe Nadjovski, Paris's deputy mayor of transport, in an interview with the radio station France Info. "This is about planning for the long term with a strategy that will reduce greenhouse gases. Transport is one of the main greenhouse gas producers...so we are planning an exit from combustion engine vehicles, or fossil-energy vehicles."
Mayor Anne Hidalgo also said Thursday that diesel vehicles would be banned in the city by 2024. She has established bike paths and new bus lanes in an effort to reduce the city's dependence on cars.
The city's efforts to cut carbon emissions from cars follow a rise in air pollution, with the air quality reaching an "alert threshold" last year according to the pollution-monitoring group Airparif.
Banning combustion engines is the latest of several steps authorities have taken to combat smog. Paris officials have taken to making public transportation free on days when pollution levels are especially high.
And Paris City Hall called its third car-free day, banning automobiles in more than 40 square miles for most of October 3. The first car-free day, held two years ago, saw a 40 percent decrease in exhaust emissions.
"We are changing the model of mobility. By offering alternatives, we can do without a personal car. That's my goal," said Hidalgo in an interview with Le Parisian on the city's anti-pollution measures.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Receiving great applause from climate advocates, Paris officials announced a new goal on Thursday to ban gas-powered cars from its streets by 2030.
The proposal would accelerate existing efforts to reduce air pollution in the city after French President Emmanuel Macron promised to ban the sale of vehicles with combustion engines by 2040.
Under the rule, only electric cars would be allowed in the city. Paris is already home to an electric car-sharing service, Autolib, which has become wildly popular since its launch in 2011 with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 20 percent over a decade.
"Time is simply pressing," said Christophe Nadjovski, Paris's deputy mayor of transport, in an interview with the radio station France Info. "This is about planning for the long term with a strategy that will reduce greenhouse gases. Transport is one of the main greenhouse gas producers...so we are planning an exit from combustion engine vehicles, or fossil-energy vehicles."
Mayor Anne Hidalgo also said Thursday that diesel vehicles would be banned in the city by 2024. She has established bike paths and new bus lanes in an effort to reduce the city's dependence on cars.
The city's efforts to cut carbon emissions from cars follow a rise in air pollution, with the air quality reaching an "alert threshold" last year according to the pollution-monitoring group Airparif.
Banning combustion engines is the latest of several steps authorities have taken to combat smog. Paris officials have taken to making public transportation free on days when pollution levels are especially high.
And Paris City Hall called its third car-free day, banning automobiles in more than 40 square miles for most of October 3. The first car-free day, held two years ago, saw a 40 percent decrease in exhaust emissions.
"We are changing the model of mobility. By offering alternatives, we can do without a personal car. That's my goal," said Hidalgo in an interview with Le Parisian on the city's anti-pollution measures.
Receiving great applause from climate advocates, Paris officials announced a new goal on Thursday to ban gas-powered cars from its streets by 2030.
The proposal would accelerate existing efforts to reduce air pollution in the city after French President Emmanuel Macron promised to ban the sale of vehicles with combustion engines by 2040.
Under the rule, only electric cars would be allowed in the city. Paris is already home to an electric car-sharing service, Autolib, which has become wildly popular since its launch in 2011 with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 20 percent over a decade.
"Time is simply pressing," said Christophe Nadjovski, Paris's deputy mayor of transport, in an interview with the radio station France Info. "This is about planning for the long term with a strategy that will reduce greenhouse gases. Transport is one of the main greenhouse gas producers...so we are planning an exit from combustion engine vehicles, or fossil-energy vehicles."
Mayor Anne Hidalgo also said Thursday that diesel vehicles would be banned in the city by 2024. She has established bike paths and new bus lanes in an effort to reduce the city's dependence on cars.
The city's efforts to cut carbon emissions from cars follow a rise in air pollution, with the air quality reaching an "alert threshold" last year according to the pollution-monitoring group Airparif.
Banning combustion engines is the latest of several steps authorities have taken to combat smog. Paris officials have taken to making public transportation free on days when pollution levels are especially high.
And Paris City Hall called its third car-free day, banning automobiles in more than 40 square miles for most of October 3. The first car-free day, held two years ago, saw a 40 percent decrease in exhaust emissions.
"We are changing the model of mobility. By offering alternatives, we can do without a personal car. That's my goal," said Hidalgo in an interview with Le Parisian on the city's anti-pollution measures.