svelt

This. With another century of lead time I'm convinced humanity will have developed a viable alternative to power the planet by then (minus a few island countries and coastal cities)

bagwell

which are ALL cleaner than the resources required to get petroleum outta the ground, transport it, refine it, transport it again, etc.

........and that's not even talking about solar possibilities.


IMO, Germany and Europe need to adopt stricter diesel emissions policies ASAP.....TONS of diesels in use over there!

Sulu

Diesel cars may soon be banned in the city centres of large European cities, including Paris, London... Paris is already banning older (read dirtier emissions) vehicles from entering the city.

mmarshall

.............yet these countries continue to subsidize diesel fuel with tax incentives? Doesn't make sense.

I don't think the French public will put up with a ban like that. Too many diesel-powered Renaults, Peugeots, and Citroens running around. And too many business in Paris would be affected.

LeX2K

Governments excel at doing things that make no sense.

Aron9000

I'm actually thankful for the EPA. We have clean, breathable air in this country thanks to them. Stupid European cities have a major smog problem because they subsidize diesel fuel for passenger cars.

mmarshall

Well, VW/Audi's cheating on the smog-programming of their diesel-computers certainly doesn't help any, either, given the large number of diesels they sold in Europe. But the main problem in European cities with air pollution is basically the same as it is here in American cities.... simply too many cars on too few roadways. But, as I said before, I don't think that the public in Paris or any other large European city would put up with an outright ban on diesels, or any other type of vehicle. Like with us here in America, congestion and pollution is just part of the prices you pay for having a politically free, democratic, mobile society. Yes, they have clean air in North Korea.....but just look at how that society is run.

Sulu

Yes, it does. It is the national governments that set lower taxes on diesel than gasoline. It is the cities -- a completely different level of government -- that are banning cars from city centres.

Cars in Paris are being labelled according to their year of manufacture and that is how they enforce the ban. Or they could impose a city-centre congestion fee, as London and Singapore have. These large city mayors have a lot of power and they are not afraid to use it.

mmarshall

Ultimately, though, most countries in Europe are democracies....usually Parliamentarian. Governments and political parties, whether conservative or liberal, that get on the wrong side of enough voters (including car owners), could find themselves out of power.

(I don't mean to take the thread too far off-topic into politics....just illustrating that there's a limit to what governments can do with bans, regulations, taxes, congestion fees, etc.....before the public rebels and they have to give an account of it).