The Dieselgate and air pollution in Europe
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This investigation presents the findings of multiple studies and analyses focusing on the impact of diesel car emissions on premature deaths and air pollution in Europe. It reveals that approximately 10,000 people die prematurely each year due to diesel car emissions exceeding legal limits. The study compares death rates in different European countries: Italy, Germany, France, and the UK are the most affected.
The investigation emphasizes transportation as the largest source of air pollution, contributing to 425,000 premature deaths in Europe in 2015. Additionally, it discusses the social costs of road transport pollution and the challenges faced by specific countries in addressing the Dieselgate scandal and adopting renewable energy sources. Urgent policy actions are needed to reduce air pollution and improve public health.
Main findings:
- Approximately 10,000 people die prematurely in Europe each year due to diesel car emissions surpassing legal limits.
- Italy, Germany, France, and the UK have the highest death toll, accounting for 70% of all premature deaths from diesel emissions.
- Stricter adherence to EU emission limits could have prevented around 5,000 deaths, and even more lives could have been saved if diesel cars emitted as much NOx as petrol cars.
- Transportation is the largest source of air pollution, responsible for about 425,000 premature deaths in the 41 European countries in 2015, with NOx gas playing a key role.
- Over 130 million inhabitants in 432 major European cities face social costs of over €166 billion annually due to road transport pollution, primarily from health impacts. Road transport pollution costs each city, on average, €385 million in annual damage, with larger cities experiencing higher costs.
- The European Environment Agency indicates that air quality is improving in Europe, but many regions still exceed WHO air quality guidelines.
- European countries handled the Dieselgate scandal at different paces, with some countries more successful in convincing consumers to have the illegal defeat device removed.
- Diesel-fueled cars continue to dominate in Europe, despite declining sales after the Dieselgate scandal, but hybrids and electric cars are seeing increased demand.
Stories
By aligning itself with the recommendations of the car industry when adopting new emission standards, the European Union could be caving in to the industry lobby at the expense of taxpayers' money and citizens' health, according to confidential documents obtained by Voxeurop.
December 13, 2023
Five years after the Dieselgate scandal, new research puts some figures on the social costs of vehicle emissions in over 400 European cities. It turns out that the annual damage to each city is worth €385 million on average.
October 27, 2020
According to the latest European Environment Agency report, a significant proportion of the burden of disease in Europe continues to be attributed to environmental pollution resulting from human activity.
September 30, 2020
The latest European Environment Agency report shows air is getting cleaner in Europe, but persistent pollution, especially in cities, still damages people’s health and the economy.
October 21, 2019
Only half of Volkswagen Group's problematic cars in Bulgaria have received a software update, and now the country risks being flooded with low-quality polluting vehicles from Western Europe.
September 3, 2019
Seven out of eight audited EU countries "have not effectively implemented" a decade-old directive on air quality rules, according to a report published at the end of January.
February 15, 2019
Each year 500 000 Europeans die prematurely as a result of air pollution. Road transport alone causes 18 percent of air pollution.
January 15, 2019
Despite the efforts of European countries, atmospheric pollution (fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone in particular) continues to kill hundreds of thousands of people every year.
November 5, 2018
A new independent report reveals how harmful emissions from diesel engines have yet to fall, despite increasingly strict European regulations, and promises from manufacturers to follow the rules.
June 18, 2018
Excess diesel emissions produce a tiny portion of harmful dusts. Yet, they cause dozens of deaths in Europe’s highly populated road traffic hotspots.
April 4, 2018
Volkswagen Group is much more successful in convincing Dieselgate-affected consumers to have the illegal defeat device removed from their car in Western Europe than in Eastern Europe.
March 5, 2018
Despite the Dieselgate scandal, diesel-fueled cars are still the most popular in Europe. A trend that is slowly changing, as governments and the public opinion are starting to grasp with their impact on public health.
January 17, 2018
The data unit
Stefano Valentino (Voxeurop, MobileReporter, coordinator) is an Italian journalist and entrepreneur. He is the founder of MobileReporter, a collaborative journalism platform focused on sustainability and the environment, and he is responsible for investigations at Voxeurop.
