The mayors of four global cities, Mexico City, Paris, Madrid and Athens, have pledged to take serious measures to deal with growing air quality issues and ban diesel vehicles from their cities within the next decade.
The mayors announced their plans on Friday at the C40 Conference of Mayors in Mexico City. They want to take diesel cars and tracks off the cities by 2025 as a part of a groundbreaking initiative to curb air pollution. At the climate meeting which took place this week, the leaders promised they would also give incentives for alternatively fuelled vehicles, electric, hybrid or hydrogen, and improve infrastructure for walking and cycling.
After years of being promoted, fuel engines are losing positions. It turns out that diesel emissions, which contain much more than CO, can contribute to cardiovascular illness or breathing difficulties.
If four global cities can take this decision, others are very likely to follow them and therefore the car manufacturers should look to alternate fuels like electric, hydrogen cars and hybrids.
According to a research carried by the World Health Organization (WHO), around three million deaths per year are linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution. Citing the data, the mayors of the four cities called for more global leaders to acknowledge the health risks of growing urban populations.
