Paris : What diesel can do
European countries, under pressure from their diesel engine manufacturers, are paying a heavy price for allowing a larger number of diesel vehicles than the US. The diesel engine manufacturers' lobby is more powerful in Europe than in Japan or USA. This disturbing air pollution picture emerges clearly in France, where the number of diesel cars are high because of the presence of Peugeot, the world's leading manufacturer of diesel engines.
Here are some of the highlights of the air pollution picture in Paris over the last few years:
l July 1994: The authorities announced that the air in Paris was so polluted by ozone that it was dangerous to breathe. The resulting pollution alert, the first in the capital's history, sent shock waves throughout France.
l October 1995: Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) levels touched a new record on a hot day.
l May 5, 1996: Some 4,000 people took to the streets of Paris on France's first national anti-air pollution day.
l March 11-13, 1997: Paris authorities issued a pollution alert as NO 2 levels reached dangerous levels. The prime minister announced that half the number of vehicles will be banned in Paris when pollution reaches dangerous levels.
l September 30, 1997: It was announced that only odd-numbers cars would be allowed to ply in Paris region and public transport was made free. About 1,000 extra police were deployed to check cars. But the government could not muster the courage to fine car owners.
l October 12, 1997: Paris authorities warned people with respiratory problems to take special care when ozone levels reached high levels.
l February 1, 1998: French cabinet approved a plan which said when pollution alerts are announced only vehicles made after 1993, the year when catalytic convertors became mandatory, or those powered by batteries or natural gas will be allowed on the roads.
l August 15, 1998: Police asked people to leave their cars at home after high temperatures led to high ozone levels.
French experts believe that the cause of high pollution levels in France are diesel engines, which have been described as the "engines of the devil'. According to a newspaper report, "... diesel fuel... accounts for nearly half of all sales at the pump.'
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