Driving away from diesel: reducing air pollution from diesel vehicles
Official estimates suggest that over 3,000 deaths each year in London are attributable to air pollution, namely because of man-made toxic airborne particles. London’s pollution levels are also illegal. In April 2015 the Supreme Court ordered the Government to take immediate action to tackle the dangerously high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) found in the UK. Diesel exhaust is a major contributor to air pollution. Diesel road traffic is responsible for 40 per cent of London’s emissions of nitrogen oxides (which include NO2). The London Assembly Environment Committee report - ‘Driving away from diesel: Reducing air pollution from diesel vehicles’ - examines London’s efforts to reduce pollution from diesel cars, lorries, buses and taxis.