Amsterdam could ban all fossil vehicles by 2030 – Legacy Auto Lobby reacts with FUD

"We want a cleaner air for all Amsterdam residents. Dirty air is still too often a silent killer. … Amsterdamers live on average less than a year due to stale air. We will do everything in our power to improve the situation, "said Sharon Dijksma.

Mortality figures are based on Dutch Health Services (GGD) estimates. Pollution of local traffic in Amsterdam is responsible for 25% of the air pollution in the city and is therefore considered responsible for about 3 months of early mortality. 25% come from local industry and aviation, the remaining 50% being air pollutants from neighboring countries (notably the industrial regions bordering Germany).

As particulate matter has gradually decreased over the past 10 years, NOx emissions have increased. The public health service has sounded the alarm on the pollution of the city by advising the government to take action.

Phases of the prohibition

The Amsterdam ban will be phased in over the next decade and will extend from the city center to the entire perimeter of the A10 ring road to expand, while gradually integrating more types of vehicles. It will eventually include boats on the canal and other water vehicles, as well as all road vehicles.

Starting in 2020, all diesel vehicles older than 4 years (approximately 15 years old and over) will be excluded from the area inside the A10 ring road (indicated in yellow on the map below). ).

From 2022, all public buses and coaches operating in the city center (shown in blue) must be emission-free, and any other vehicle entering this central area must be at least Euro 6 compliant. (~ 2015 or more recent).

Starting in 2025, the emissions-free zone will expand to the A10 bypass and include more categories of vehicles, including delivery trucks and vans, taxis and certain types of mopeds. Pleasure craft and ferries are also limited to zero emissions.

By 2030, all non-polluting vehicles will be excluded from all built-up areas of the city (shown in green), including private cars and two-wheelers.

Image by Action Plan for Air Quality / Municipality of Amsterdam

An increased number of charging points for electric vehicles will be put in place to encourage the transition, electric vehicle owners being able to request the installation of new charging points in their locality if they are not already present. Some incentives to purchase are also offered to help residents switch to zero-emission vehicles, although the exact details of these are not yet clear.

The plans will be discussed in June and July, with consultations with residents and businesses. According to the Dutch NGO Defense of the environment (Milieudefensie), there is already a lot of public support:

"A very good plan and a benefit for the lungs of all citizens of Amsterdam … 66% of Amsterdam citizens only want emissions-free traffic in the city center, so this project benefits from the advantages of the city." considerable support "(Translation) Anne Knol from Milieudefensie said.

The automatic lobby pushes back with misinformation

As might be expected given the now infamous reticence of traditional manufacturers to abandon their fossil fuel offerings, one of the industry's leading advocates, the Dutch RAI, strongly opposed to the Amsterdam projects:

"A weird plan, beyond reality and unachievable … Tens of thousands of families who do not have money to buy an electric car will soon be left behind. This makes Amsterdam a rich city. By 2030, about a third of cars will be electric, we hope. But there will also be many people who will not be able to afford it at this time. "

Of course, what they do not mention is that there will be a very large number of affordable second-hand electric vehicles on the Dutch market by 2030, which will offer a much better overall value than fossil vehicles, especially for those with a tight budget.

With additional incentives from the Amsterdam government on electric vehicles, switching to an electric vehicle will be an easy and obvious choice. Despite RAI's desperate claims, it is much more likely that most people on a tight budget will have made the transition away from costly fossil fuel burners well before 2030, precisely to avoid wasting money.

What the industry really fears is the acceleration of the (now unavoidable) decline in its traditional sales of fossil vehicles with milk cows. With such prohibitions of fossil vehicles looming, sensible people are already moving away from old and polluting technology. If the industry really cared about helping "tens of thousands of families who do not have money," over the last two decades, they would have sincerely sought the production of electric vehicles instead of trying to bury the technology after smothering it in the 90s.

We will keep an eye on the expected progress of the planned zero-emission transition in Amsterdam. Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Keywords: air pollution, Amsterdam, city diesel bans, NOX emissions, particulates, pollution, Sharon Dijksma, zero emission zone

About the author

Dr. Maximilian Holland Max is an anthropologist, social science theorist and international political economist who tries to ask questions and encourages critical reflection on social and environmental justice, sustainability and the human condition. He has lived and worked in Europe and Asia and currently resides in Barcelona.