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German coal plant exposed as Europe’s single worst air polluter
The Niederaussem coal plant and mine, operated by RWE, was singled out as Europe’s largest hotspot for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) pollution, according to a groundbreaking analysis of new satellite imagery. London’s polluted air, caused mainly by transport emissions, comes second.
Merkel promises new legislation to ward off diesel driving bans
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, campaigning for her Christian Democrats (CDU) to retain control of the crucial state of Hesse in next Sunday’s election, promised legislation to ward off the threat of air pollution leading to driving bans. VideoPromoted content
The importance of periodic vehicle emission tests for air quality
European legislation has a very good instrument to detect high emitting vehicles in use - the periodic emission test of vehicles.
Why construction machinery must be included in the Clean Vehicles Directive
Construction site machinery is responsible for a significant amount of air, noise, and climate pollution yet remains remarkably unregulated. The ongoing recast of the EU Clean Vehicles Directive offers a golden opportunity to address this, writes Mark Preston.
Dieselgate – 35 million manipulated cars on our streets and still no action
Despite the European Parliament’s Dieselgate inquiry committee, the European Commission is standing by, hiding behind bureaucratic squabbling to avoid taking its responsibilities, write Claude Turmes and Zdzisław Krasnodębski.
Diesel summit takeaway: voluntary retrofits will not stop driving bans in cities
Germany’s diesel summit with car companies this week was a disappointment and does little to cut air pollution, writes Ugo Taddei.
Germany’s car bosses bid to head off diesel ban with software patch
Germany's powerful car industry offered Wednesday (2 August) to provide a software upgrade that would cut harmful emissions in 5 million vehicles, but critics cried foul saying it is simply a "stop-gap fix" for a colossal pollution cheating scandal.
EU drafts tougher ‘Dieselgate’ rules to stop cheating
National ministers moved today (29 May) to crack down on emissions cheating after the Volkswagen "Dieselgate" scandal by giving the European Commission more powers to monitor testing and fine automakers.
MEPs reject EU road agency in vote for new post-Dieselgate car approval rules
The European Parliament approved tougher rules for the approval of new cars aimed at avoiding a repeat of the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal but rejected amendments calling for a new, centralised EU road agency to oversee emissions testing.
MEPs agree to muscle up Commission after Dieselgate, reject EU road agency
MEPs in the Internal Market Committee voted to give the European Commission more powers to police car manufacturers, but left-wing groups lost their bid to set up a new EU agency tasked with preventing another Dieselgate scandal.
23 EU countries are breaking European air quality laws
European air quality laws are being flouted in more than 130 cities across 23 of the 28 EU member states, the European Commission said yesterday (6 February).
Commission takes legal action against seven EU countries over VW scandal
Seven countries have broken EU law for refusing to sanction Volkswagen after it used illegal software to manipulate its vehicles' emissions tests.
Petrol cars allowed to exceed pollution limits by 50% under draft EU laws
New European cars with petrol engines will be allowed to overshoot a limit on toxic particulates emissions by 50% under a draft EU regulation backed by the UK and most other EU states. Our partner The Guardian reports.
Delivering the promise of air quality
This week London new Mayor Sadiq Khan unveiled his plans to tackle air pollution in the city. Autogas can bring the fast, cost-effective changes that cities like London so desperately need, writes Cécile Nourigat.
Dieselgate researcher says Commission overhaul won’t bring big change
One of the researchers that put Volkswagen's emissions cheating on the map said the European Commission's proposal to more strictly police the car industry won't deliver 'fundamental change'.
Commission reluctant to tackle Dieselgate health fallout
Dieselgate may already have cost lives, but the European Commission is continuing to dodge questions about its health consequences.
VW scandal threatens case for €16bn diesel tax subsidy
An estimated annual 'tax gap' subsidy of some €16 billion for diesel over petrol has made Europe the world's largest market for diesel cars - but the Volkswagen scandal has put the national tax schemes supporting this industry at risk.
Let’s get real with car emissions
We are doing our bit to protect air quality in our cities, but real improvements will only come with tougher emissions standards, writes Anna Lisa Boni.
Investors worried by ‘toxic’ transport lobbying
The dieselgate scandal has sent share prices plummeting and led investors to demand explanations about the role of the 115 lobbyists employed by car manufacturers in Brussels. Journal de l'Environnement reports.
EU regulators seek to close car emissions testing loopholes
EU regulators are preparing draft legislation that will require vehicle fuel use to be tested on roads rather than in laboratories, looking to close loopholes that allow car makers to exaggerate fuel-saving and emissions credentials.
Shippers under the gun to meet new air quality standards
SPECIAL REPORT / In the Belgian port of Zeebrugge one spring day, a hulking cargo ship waiting to make its 36-hour run to the Swedish port of Gothenburg sat as a model for European and international efforts to reduce vessel emissions.
Trade-offs: What’s good for the climate may not be good for the air
SPECIAL REPORT / From wood stoves to diesel engines, the European Union has promoted fossil fuel alternatives and technology to help meet its obligations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions blamed for climate change. But these are also contribute to dirty air, leaving regulators to figure out some legislative repair work.
Auto pollution exceeds manufacturers’ claims, report says
The gap has widened between the fuel-efficiency that carmakers declare for their models and the reality for drivers, with luxury German vehicles showing the biggest divergence, a study has found.