CIEH welcomes new consultation on phasing out petrol and diesel cars

CIEH has welcomed the Government’s new consultation on phasing out petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans by 2035.

The Department for Transport has published details on their consultation for phasing out the sale of these vehicles by 2035 or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible.

Closing on the 29th May 2020, the consultation is calling for views on the phase-out date, the barriers to achieving the proposals, and the impact on industry and society.

Tamara Sandoul, Policy and Campaigns Manager at CIEH, said:

“We welcome this important consultation on phasing out diesel, petrol and hybrid cars. It is an important conversation that needs to happen, both from an air pollution perspective and in order to urgently reduce carbon emissions to meet the Government’s 2050 net zero target.

Transport is now the biggest contributor to the UK’s carbon emissions, responsible for 28% of the total, yet we have only been able to reduce emissions by 3% since 1990. Furthermore, we know that the pollution from road transport kills around 40,000 people each year across the UK. Phasing out the most polluting vehicles as soon as possible would therefore bring two major benefits.

However, we recognise that this major shift in the type of transport needs to happen alongside incentives for clean vehicles and initiatives to encourage people to use other forms of transport, including active travel.”