London cracks down on older diesel cars in latest attempt to combat ‘lethal’ air pollution
Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative government is under pressure over its response to deteriorating air quality
Gone are the days of London’s “pea souper” smogs, but like many European cities, the British capital is once again being choked by pollution – and has road traffic firmly in its sights.
In 1952, the Great Smog suffocated London for five days, bringing the city to a standstill as soot-filled clouds descended onto the streets and into people’s lungs, leaving more than 12,000 dead.
The crisis prompted a clampdown on the use of coal in the city – but decades on, pollution is still causing more than 9,000 premature deaths per year.
This time, the key culprit is nitrogen dioxide (NO2), produced by cars and trucks – and particularly diesel engines, which emit three times more NO2 than petrol vehicles.
“Industry ... is part of the problem, but the focus, the problem areas are next to roads,” said Gary Fuller, a senior lecturer in air quality measurement at King’s College London.