Mayor Johnson and current Government must join Labour apology on diesel

Mayor Johnson and current Government must join Labour apology on diesel

Simon Birkett, Founder and Director of Clean Air in London, said:

“Clean Air in London welcomes Labour’s admission of previous Government blunders favouring diesel over petrol.  We eagerly await Channel 4 Dispatches “The Great [Diesel] Car Con” tomorrow.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches

“Since 1993, successive Governments have prioritised climate change over local air pollution – effectively killing people sooner – from the health effects of ‘carcinogenic’ diesel exhaust – rather than much later from the consequences of climate change.  Their decisions then were irrational and delivered no climate benefits at a catastrophic human cost that will be felt for decades.

“Mayor Johnson and the current Government must join Labour in apologising for their love of diesel.  The auto industry must also accept responsibility for its share of failings on diesel and stop lobbying against action intended to protect public health now.

“We need public warnings, compensation schemes and a national and EU-wide strategy that will eliminate diesel from our cities within five years as coal was banned so successfully 60 years ago.”

ENDS

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/Environment/article1511239.ece

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/motoring-news/labours-drive-towards-diesel-cars-causing-massive-public-health-problem-admits-shadow-environment-minister-10000843.html

Notes

1.  London examples

https://cleanair.london/sources/oxford-street-has-breached-nitrogen-dioxide-hourly-limit-value-for-2015/

https://cleanair.london/health/complaint-to-advertising-standards-authority-about-mayors-ulez-advertisement/

https://cleanair.london/sources/mayor-publishes-health-study-revealing-deaths-attributable-to-no2/

https://cleanair.london/sources/mayor-is-destroying-the-taxi-industry-in-london/

https://cleanair.london/hot-topics/stop-hiding-air-pollution-and-ban-diesel-exhaust-in-two-stages-to-2020-as-coal-was-banned-60-years-ago/

https://cleanair.london/sources/carcinogenic-diesel-exhaust-disclosed-for-every-significant-road-in-london/

2.  National examples

https://cleanair.london/indoor-air-quality/eac-report-on-air-pollution-slams-government-and-has-no-plaudits-for-mayor/

https://cleanair.london/hot-topics/thousands-may-be-driving-diesel-vehicles-illegally-after-government-failures/

https://cleanair.london/sources/investigation-into-governments-failure-to-control-carcinogenic-diesel-exhaust/

3.  Milestones and other links

March 1993 CO₂ introduced for fuel duty

http://www.theaa.com/public_affairs/reports/tax-and-investment-march08.pdf

http://www.johnmajor.co.uk/page4282.html

November 1993

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1993/nov/30/road-fuel-duty-and-vehicle-excise-duty

Big focus on CO₂ reductions after 1997 Kyoto Protocol

http://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=502226

http://www.foe.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/reform_ved_foe.pdf

September 1997

Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution – report

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110112040753/http:/www.rcep.org.uk/reports/20-transport/documents/1997-20transport.pdf

Problems of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen highlighted in 1998 (see paragraph 2.9)

http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/19961122000217

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/whitepapers/previous/anewdealfortransportbetterfo5695

4.  Future tax trends and other reports

http://www.nextgreencar.com/company-car-tax/future-trends.php

CAL 294 HMT 1998 Consultation On Reform

CAL 294 NAQS Research Paper 1997-33

CAL 299 Dr Ian Mudway’s presentation about air pollution – Greenwich

http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/LAQNSeminar/pdf/June2014/David_Carslaw_Recent_findings_from_comprehensive_vehicle_emission_remote_sensing_measurements.pdf

http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat05/1307161149_130715_DefraRemoteSensingReport_Final.pdf

http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/LAQNSeminar/pdf/June2014/Eckard_Helmers_The_European_diesel_car_boom_diesel_causes_and_effects.pdf

CAL 299 KCL Eckard_Helmers_The_European_diesel_car_boom_diesel_causes_and_effects 2014

https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/2190-4715-25-15

http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/LAQNSeminar/pdf/June2014/Ian_Mudway_Fumifugium_2014.pdf

CAL 306 QUARG_December 93

CAL 306 DoH FoI reply re diesel vs climate 200715

CAL 306 DoH FoI reply re diesel vs climate 200715_Annex A

http://www.theguardian.com/global/2015/jun/20/britain-london-pollution-air-quality-health

CAL 325 EC Impact Assessment re occupational health including diesel 080317

One Atmosphere_RSC 010317_Final