Are Cars To Blame For Pollution In Cities?

In 2017, due to the degree of pollution in cities, there were continuous alerts in Madrid and the rest of Spanish cities. According to measurements by the General Directorate of the Environment, the levels of NO2, PM10 and 03, registered a noticeable increase.

Government measures focus on drivers, but … are cars responsible for pollution in cities? Are there other factors that play a role?

The Government speaks of the toxicity of Saharan dust. Beyond this discourse, the environmental statistics and the composition of these powders say otherwise. Barcelona and Madrid, the most polluting cities, request emergency measures from the central administration.

The reality behind city cars

The figures speak for themselves: 80% of Madrid’s air pollution comes from car emissions ; These figures were released by the College of Industrial Engineers of the capital.

The seriousness of the matter lies in the fact that 45% of citizens travel by personal car. Most of these use diesel fuel, a combustion system that dominates the Spanish car market.

To be more exact, 80% of the environmental desecration generated by Madrid cars is caused by diesel cars. To this we must add the fact that only 36% of citizens take public transport.

The problem is structural and it does have to do with automobiles; some measures such as carsharing try to remedy the situation.

The lifestyle

In practice, the type of consumption, criteria, and ingrained lifestyle of the citizens are the origin of the problem. Only in the change could be the solution, although generations of Europeans thought that diesel was less harmful. And as is already known, its combustion emits less C02, but produces other harmful toxic gases.

The reality is catastrophic when adding the fleet of tourist cars that enter the country. A 60% of tourists who come use diesel powered vehicles.

Meanwhile, the city councils of Barcelona and Madrid are not able to improve their indicators and the rest of Europe could sue Spain for breach of treaties in Luxembourg.

Pollution in Spanish cities: a structural problem

The authorities develop public policies to encourage drivers to switch to sustainable energy. Some citizens have adapted their engines and others are beginning to purchase electric cars.

Around 1,088 cars powered by other alternative fuels and hybrids were purchased in February of this year. That represents an increase of 101% compared to the second month of 2017.

However, users do not seem to trust new technologies. There is a fear that these electric cars will not be able to cover long distances on vacation. Obviously, there is a lack of recharging plants distributed on the country’s highways.

For their part, the city councils of the big cities seem to bet on the strengthening of the public transport system.

The prices of the tickets, cooperation agreements or improvements in the service, are data that confirm this. The creation of bicycle lanes and pedestrian crossings appear to be part of the solution package.

Alerts and fines have not brought about a change

In Madrid, the Information and Alert Protocols are fully operational. However, regulating the speed limit and parking does not seem to generate sustainable results. Despite the controls, recent years have been negative in terms of pollution levels in cities.

Some experts claim the absence of instruments for measuring and predicting traffic in Spanish cities. This is the position of Margaret Bell, director of the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds. Others indicate that the portion of cars with the greatest polluting potential should be taken out of circulation.

From these perspectives, excess traffic and diesel-powered vehicles are at the heart of the matter. Some communities are taking unprecedented action. This is the case of the Balearic Islands, where the entry of diesel cars will be prohibited from the year 2025.

Pollution in cities : are there other significant sources of emissions?

There are also other emitters of toxic gases. According to official figures, private houses are responsible for 6.6% of CO2 emissions in cities.

Eliminating central heating systems would prevent the emission of 2.4 million tons of CO2 annually. On the other hand, compared to 80% pollution from cars, this is not very representative.