All posts tagged: emission

Belgian insurer urges politicians to strengthen low emission zones | Low emission zones

Belgian insurer urges politicians to strengthen low emission zones | Low emission zones

Published by skeptic

One of Belgium’s mutual health insurers has been taking a closer look at the country’s three low emission zones. Dr Luk Bruyneel, a health and economics expert at Mutualités Libres, explained: “As a health insurance fund, we have to protect the health of our members. As air pollution is a major health risk, we want to contribute evidence to the debate. Health insurance data for our 2.3 million members allows us to produce high-quality studies on health risks from air pollution.” Antwerp was the first city to set up a zone in 2017. This was followed by Brussels, and then Ghent. Like London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez), and more than 320 schemes across Europe, the Belgian zones are designed to improve air pollution by deterring the most polluting vehicles from driving on city streets (generally the oldest diesels). As a key player in Belgium’s public health care, Mutualités Libres wanted to understand if the three zones had changed the air breathed by its members. It was not possible to make measurements at each person’s home, …

New US vehicle emission standards to cut 7 billion tonnes of CO2

New US vehicle emission standards to cut 7 billion tonnes of CO2

Published by skeptic

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has officially announced the final vehicle emission standards for the US, which will cut over seven billion tonnes of carbon emissions. The new vehicle emission standards are for passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles for model years 2027-2032 and beyond. These standards, aimed at curbing carbon emissions, are projected to significantly impact society, with nearly $100bn in annual net benefits, including substantial public health benefits and reduced fuel costs for drivers. The EPA’s final standards build upon the significant pollution reduction goals outlined in the proposed rule while accelerating the adoption of cleaner vehicle technologies. This move comes as sales of clean vehicles, including plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles, reached record highs in the previous year. EPA Administrator Michael Regan and President Biden’s National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi will announce these standards at an event in Washington, emphasising their alignment with President Biden’s climate and economic agenda. Regan highlighted the significance of the new vehicle emission standards: “With transportation as the largest source of US climate emissions, these …

Emission impossible: the maddening, nightmare quest to decarbonize my home | Homes

Emission impossible: the maddening, nightmare quest to decarbonize my home | Homes

Published by skeptic

My wife and I live in a green, two-story colonial at the end of a cul-de-sac in Burlington, Vermont. Each spring, the front of our home is lined with lilacs, crocuses, and peonies. The backyard is thick with towering black locust trees. We occasionally spot a fox from our office windows, or toddlers from the neighborhood daycare trundling through the woods. It’s an alarmingly idyllic home, with one exception: it runs on natural gas. The boiler, which heats our house and our water, burns it. So do the stove and the dryer and even the fireplace in the living room. About 60% of American residences are similarly reliant on gas, the primary component of which is the potent greenhouse gas methane. This dependence on fossil fuels didn’t particularly faze us in the past. When we had to replace the furnace in our last place, in late 2018, it was the easiest option. Same for the other appliances. At least it wasn’t oil, we told ourselves. It didn’t help that our contractors weren’t well-versed in alternatives …

Biden Admin Preparing “Toughest Ever” Auto Emission Standards

Biden Admin Preparing “Toughest Ever” Auto Emission Standards

Published by skeptic

Despite pretty much the entire country making it clear that EV mandates are hurting the industry (with major automakers like Ford and GM slashing investment), President Biden is forging forward with his “green agenda” even further. This go-round, Biden is “preparing to roll out the toughest-ever” emissions restrictions, according to Bloomberg.  The report says that the Environmental Protection Agency is poised to implement emissions limits that (Biden thinks) could significantly boost electric vehicle sales, requiring EVs to constitute about two-thirds of new car and light truck sales by 2032, a sharp increase from less than 10% last year.  Unless, of course, people stop buying new cars.  Regardless, this regulation supposedly aims to cut down on pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, and marks a major action under President Joe Biden’s administration and a step toward meeting the US’s Paris Agreement goal of slashing its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The transportation sector is currently the largest contributor to the US’s climate pollution, Bloomberg writes.  Manish Bapna, head of the Natural Resources Defense Action Fund commented: “Cars and light trucks …

Ulez expansion: 45% fewer ‘dirty’ vehicles now on London’s roads, says TfL | Low emission zones

Published by Sam

The number of the most polluting vehicles driven in London has fallen by almost half since the capital’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) was expanded, taking almost 80,000 older cars off the roads. About 77,000, or 45%, fewer non-compliant cars and vans were detected on average a day in September, the first month of operation of the expanded zone – compared with June 2023. Only 5% of the vehicles driven in London are now non-compliant and potentially liable to pay the £12.50 daily charge, according to a progress report from the capital’s transport authorities. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, who faced intense opposition from parts of the media and Conservative-led councils in outer boroughs when extending the Ulez on 29 August to cover the whole of Greater London, said that the figures were “testament to the huge progress we’ve made in tackling toxic air pollution”. Vehicles that do not meet the zone’s limits on exhaust emissions – broadly petrol cars from before 2005 and diesels before 2015 – have to pay £12.50 to drive in the …

Drivers warned of copycat websites overcharging for Ulez fee | Low emission zones

Published by Sam

Drivers are being ripped off by copycat websites that add extra fees to the ultra low emissions zone charges in London, consumer champion Which? has warned. As Ulez expands across all boroughs in the capital from Tuesday, Which? has found a series of identical, unofficial websites targeting people trying to pay the charge. This has led to drivers paying more than the £12.50 daily fee. The consumer rights group said it was up to consumers to make sure they “steer clear of copycat websites that will sting them with unnecessary extra charges” and “instead visit the official TfL website to pay any Ulez charges”. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has confirmed Transport for London (TfL) is not associated with any third-party websites accepting payments and that it works with search engine companies such as Google to remove unofficial websites. Which? spoke to a member of the public who inadvertently paid a company that did not appear as TFL on their bank statement. They were driving in Stanmore, north-west London, in July and saw a sign …