Harmful
human actions against the environment often cause a direct backlash. A great
example of this is air pollution. In England, air
pollution has been linked to around 40,000 early deaths per year.
As a result
of this, the courts in the UK ordered the government to outline a new plan that
would reduce the harmful pollutants emitted by vehicles. The biggest
step in this plan? Banning the sale of all petrol and diesel cars by 2040.
Right now, only 2.6 percent of registered vehicles in the UK are electric. To make them the only car consumers buy by 2040 would take a lot of effort and a lot of buildup of the electric
car industry.
They are
trying to do just that in Sunderland, where the local Nissan factory has begun
producing their popular electric vehicle called the Nissan Leaf. The Nissan
plant, which has been a major source of employment in the city since it opened 30
years ago, started producing electric cars in December last year.
Other steps by the government to improve air quality and reduce pollution
include giving 200 million pounds to local authorities to reduce levels on high
pollution roads.
The government’s
plan has been criticized as weak by some and many environmentalists
believe that the ban should take place by 2030. However, this commitment links
the UK with just nine other countries who aim to ban the sale of fossil fuel vehicles
in the next ten or twenty years.
Hey Amy,
ReplyDeleteI am impressed by the efforts to move their vehicles towards a healthier standard of energy consumption. It is a change I would very much like to see here in the states. I will certainly be following this effort a lot more closely to see how successful it ends up being.