Four major cities in a bid to combat urban air pollution have made a radical decision at the C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico City, by banning diesel-powered vehicles.
Mayors from Paris, Madrid and Athens have said they will ban diesel vehicles from their cities’ roads by 2025 in a bid to drive down urban air pollution.
In a commitment announced yesterday at the C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico City, the four major cities pledged to encourage the use of alternatively fuelled vehicles as well as promote cycling and walking infrastructure with the aim of improving air quality for local residents.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), three million deaths linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution occur worldwide, with the vast majority of these deaths occurring in cities.
It follows a report launched this week at the Summit setting out the need for $375bn of green investment across world cities over the next four years in order to boost low carbon infrastructure and avert catastrophic climate change.
“Mayors have already stood up to say that the climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face,” said Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris and chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, on Thursday.
“Today, we also stand up to say we no longer tolerate air pollution and the health problems and deaths it causes – particularly for our most vulnerable citizens. Big problems like air pollution require bold action, and we call on car and bus manufacturers to join us.“
Meanwhile, cities around the world are also jointly calling for cleaner air through a global petition launched at the Summit, which demands that vehicle manufacturers stop producing diesel vehicles by 2025 and instead support a rapid transition to electric, hydrogen and hybrid vehicles.