Low Emission Zones are key to mitigating heat waves

Low Emission Zones are key to mitigating heat waves
Low Emission Zones are key to mitigating heat waves and guaranteeing clean air
  • Heat waves, which are becoming more frequent, aggravate the impact of pollution, and warn of the need to urgently reduce emissions. Urban traffic is one of the main causes.
  • According to the latest report from the Clean Cities campaign, 320 European cities have already begun to expel polluting vehicles from their centers and there will be more than 500 in the next two years.

According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is a public health emergency, causing more than 300,000 premature deaths a year in the EU. Urban traffic is one of its main causes and studies show that Low Emission Zones (LEZ) improve air quality, have a positive impact on commerce and improving the quality of life in the city. Additionally, a majority of city dwellers want all gasoline and diesel cars to be gradually banned from cities, according to a survey conducted last year.

The Clean Cities campaign, of which ConBici, ECODES and Ecologistas en Acción are part, publishes today a new report that shows a review of the ZBEs already existing in Europe, the benefits that this measure has and the commitments they have assumed and are assuming European cities. According to forecasts, it is expected to reach the figure of more than 500 ZBEs in Europe by 2025, with Spain being the country that will grow the most given the municipal delay in developing measures of this type. Its implementation has funding from recovery and resilience funds.

149 cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants are obliged, by law, to implement them before 2023 in Spain. At the moment, only Madrid, Barcelona and Sant Cugat del Vallés have operational ZBEs, although with many limitations. At the same time, the implementation of urban tolls in some cities is on the table. For example, social organizations in Barcelona and Valencia propose the implementation of an urban toll as a useful, urgent and necessary measure to reduce pollution. The collection of tolls must result in an increase in the financing of public transport to guarantee its frequency and quality, avoiding aggravating the social gap.

320 European cities have already removed polluting cars from their urban centers to reduce air pollution[1], 40 % more since 2019. For example, in the Netherlands, 40 cities have committed to completely decarbonizing the delivery of goods by implementing Zero Emission Zones. These zones are not limited to city centers, they also extend to neighborhoods and peripheral areas. Those already underway vary in the degree of restriction, with London and Paris at the top of the list of cities most committed to removing polluting vehicles from the city.

The organizations ConBici, ECODES and Ecologistas en Acción insist that the health of the population must be a priority, in combination with the urgent fight against the climate emergency. The reduction of traffic in cities must be one of the fundamental points of the political agendas in view of the next municipal elections. “Some recent judicial rulings seem to attempt to make a supposed and non-existent right to drive a car anywhere – and to have public space to park it – prevail over the right to the environment or the right to health, collected, yes, in our Constitution,” declare the representatives of these organizations.

The groups that support the Clean Cities campaign have already presented several proposals for the development of ZBEs that meet the necessary emissions reduction objectives, such as: the proposal of minimums for regulation presented a year ago by ECODES, Transport & Environment and the Renewable Foundation; the guide for the implementation of ZBE in small and medium-sized cities, which Ecologistas en Acción released in February; the ConBici Cycling with Clean Air project with which since December 2021 they have been measuring PM2.5 particles in 14 cities and which will serve to generate reports that help administrations develop ZBEs; or the memorandum published by the Walking Cities network in May. Recommendations have also been made drawn from open dialogue spaces organized by ECODES in ten Spanish cities. With the same intention, allegations have recently been presented to the draft ZBE Royal Decree that is expected to be approved in the coming weeks.

On the other hand, along with this report on the trend in Europe, a recipe book is also presented with seven steps to implement ambitious, effective and socially just areas, based on the experiences developed throughout Europe. 27 existing plans are going to increase their ambition, including those in London and Paris. At the same time, the French capital Amsterdam and Copenhagen will close entry to all non-zero-emission vehicles by the end of the decade, ahead of the recent approval of a ban on the sale of combustion vehicles by 2035, including hybrids. , by the European Union. Brussels will do it in 2035.

In addition, the list will increase after the commitment of 100 European cities to be climate neutral by 2030, including Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Valencia, Valladolid, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Zaragoza. The EU plan, endowed with 360 million euros, aims for all European cities to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The organizations that support the Clean Cities campaign declare that “for cities to be climate neutral, which is a necessity to combat climate change and limit these terrible heat waves, we must act now. One way is to establish ambitious ZBEs, including educational spaces and hospitals, reducing parking areas and improving public transport.”

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