by Katie Zavadski
On Monday, pollution in Paris got bad enough to warrant a response:
Using a system commonly used in China, vehicles with license plates ending in odd numbers are banned from the roads today. Tomorrow, it switches to those ending with even numbers. The length of the ban will depend on the change in pollution levels. The key type of pollution driving the ban (no pun intended) is PM10 particles, which are each fewer than 10 micrometers in diameter. “The safe limit is 80 microgrammes of PM10 particulates per cubic metre, but on Friday, the level peaked at 180 microgrammes prompting authorities to urge people to stay indoors as much as possible and to leave their cars at home,” The Guardian writes. To try to cut pollution levels, the government also offered free trips on public transit over the weekend and until the ban is over.
The ban was lifted after a day, when conditions started to ease up. Feargus O’Sullivan suggests that a long-term solution for Parisians may be more pricey:
What France really needs to do, according to a number of environmentalists, is slash its dependency on diesel-powered engines. An estimated 60 percent of French vehicles currently run on diesel. This higher than average level dates from the 1960s, when French governments promoted diesel in the mistaken belief that it was cleaner than gasoline. In fact, diesel has both higher carbon emissions and carcinogenic fine particles, the form of invisible pollution from which France is currently suffering a major spike. The noxiousness of diesel has led to a paradoxical debate where far-from-benign gasoline emissions have gained the perverse position of being perceived as the lesser of two evils. France’s heavy investment in diesel vehicles means that, to date, there’s been little effective pressure to reduce the country’s diesel dependency —even this year, Paris introduced 320 new diesel-powered public buses.
Previous smog-related coverage here.
(Photo via Damián Bakarcic)
The Dish 