The UK will ban the sale of all petrol and Diesel Cars from 2040 to help reduce air pollution. Rising levels of nitrogen oxide in the air affect public health, so the government has allocated £255 million for the improvement of air quality. It’s also mulling banning older diesel vehicles, but not anytime soon.
The government will table a ‘clean air strategy’, mandated by the court. French president, Emmanuel Macron, made similar plans to phase out petrol and diesel cars post 2040. Currently, plug-in hybrids or full-electrics account for four percent of all new cars sold in the UK. The percentage of hybrid and all-electric vehicle sales in UK will most likely increase by as much as 10 percent by the year 2022, according to a study.
Poor air quality in the UK reportedly causes 40,000 premature deaths a year. A government spokesman added, "Poor air quality is the biggest environmental risk to public health in the UK and this government is determined to take strong action in the shortest time possible.”
The government is also looking to tackle the pollution problem in other avenues as well - retrofitting new technology in older vehicles, creating ‘Clear Air Zones’ or CAZs, and adding more green vehicles to the public transport network.