UK to ban combustion engines by 2040, follows other European countries

Samantha Wright

26-Jul-2017

A car stockpile in Essen, Germany. Source - Hans Blossey, imageBROKER, REX, Shutterstock

LONDON (ICIS)–The UK government is set to announce a ban on all new diesel and petrol vehicles from 2040, environment secretary Michael Gove said on Wednesday.

The ban is part of a government plan to reduce air pollution.

The move follows a similar announcement made recently by France’s environment minister Nicolas Hulot, in which he said that France plans to ban all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040.

In June, Norway said that it plans to ban all fossil fuel-based vehicles by 2025, although this has not yet been set into law.

The UK government is also set to announce a fund of over £200m for local authorities to lower emissions from diesel vehicles, Gove added.

“I think it is important that we all gear up for a significant change that deals not just with the problems caused to health through emissions, but the broader problems caused in terms of accelerating climate change. We also need to take action now,” he told the UK’s public broadcaster BBC.

“What we are announcing today is a package, more than £200m, which will go to those local authorities in order to enable them to draw up appropriate plans in order to deal with some of the particular challenges they face.”

 The local authorities will be responsible for putting plans in place, which could include altering buses to make sure they produce cleaner fumes.

There is also the possibility of restrictions on drivers and charges for diesel vehicles, which would be decided by local authorities.

“I don’t believe that it is necessary to bring in charging, but we will work with local authorities in order to determine what the best approach is,” said Gove.

“If a local authority believes that charging is necessary in order to secure compliance, then we will work to ensure that plan can be implemented appropriately. On the evidence that I have seen, while charging could bring local authorities into compliance with the law, it is not necessary.”

Pictured above: A car stockpile in Essen, Germany
Source: Hans Blossey/imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock

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