Les voitures diesel produisent 50 p. 100 d'émissions toxiques plus importantes qu'elles ne le devraient, souligne le rapport majeur
LESvoitures Diesel pompent 50 p. 100 d'émissions toxiques plus importantes qu'elles ne le seraient si toutes étaient conformes aux lois sur la pollution, ont constaté les chercheurs.
En Europe, le fait de ne pas respecter les normes d'émissions pourrait entraîner la mort de 11 500 personnes chaque année, le nouveau rapport de l'Université d'York et le Conseil international du transport propre.
Between 2008 and 2015 Volkswagen rigged diesel cars so they could pass stringent environmental tests while emitting dangerous levels of pollution. But until now it was unclear if other car companies had fitted similar ‘defeat devices.’
The new research concluded that diesels are emitting far more nitrogen oxides than they should for reasons which could range from ‘engine calibration to equipment failure, inadequate maintenance, tampering by vehicle owners, the deliberate use of defeat devices, or simply deficient certification test procedures.’
Professor Roy Harrison FRS, Professor of Environmental Health, University of Birmingham, said: “This is a rigorous study which highlights the serious consequences which have resulted directly from the irresponsible actions of the motor manufacturers in producing vehicles which meet regulatory requirements under test conditions, but emit far higher pollutant levels during on-road use.
“The study may well underestimate the full consequences for public health as it quantifies only the effects of particulate matter and ozone formed in the atmosphere as a result of excess nitrogen oxides emissions, but not the direct effects of the oxides of nitrogen themselves."
Nitrogen oxide is a key contributor to outdoor air pollution. Long-term exposure to these pollutants is linked to a range of adverse health outcomes, including disability and reduced life expectancy due to stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer.
The government is currently planning an incentive scheme to allow diesel owners to scrap their cars for cash, if they are older models and registered at an address where air pollution is already at dangerous levels. The High Court recently ruled that the Department for the Environment must produce a plan to tackle air pollution in British cities which regularly breach safe air levels.
For the new diesel report, researchers analysed data from 30 studies of vehicle emissions under real-world driving conditions around the world.
On a constaté que les véhicules ont émis 13,2 millions de tonnes d'oxyde d'azote dans des conditions de conduite réelles, soit 4,6 millions de tonnes de plus que les 8,6 millions de tonnes attendues dans le cadre de tests de laboratoire officiels.
Josh Miller, chercheur au Conseil international du transport propre (ICCT) , a déclaré: "Pour les véhicules légers, comme les voitures particulières, les camions et les fourgonnettes, l'Union européenne a produit près de 70 pour cent des émissions excédentaires d'oxyde d'azote diesel. "
À l'échelle mondiale, l'étude estime que l'impact de toutes les émissions mondiales d'oxyde d'azote diesel passera à 183 600 décès anticipés en 2040, à moins que quelque chose ne soit fait pour le réduire.
La recherche a été publiée dans la revue Nature.
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