UK diesel tax changes

Centurion

New member
Joined
Apr 17, 2017
Location
Belfast
TDI
VW Golf MK V 105
Has anyone else been concerned about the constant demonisation of diesel in the press lately?

I just bought a 2008 mark v Golf TDI. I'm a little concerned I'll be taxed off the road before long ?

I live in Belfast so thankfully no London T Charge. But national changes of some sort do seem to be in the pipeline.
 

wxman

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 26, 1999
Location
East TN, USA
TDI
Other Diesel
Don't live in Europe, but I am becoming increasingly convinced that the supposed air quality issues in Europe are being vastly over-hyped.

Based on the latest European Environmental Agency (EEA) report on air quality ("Air Quality in Europe - 2016"), the air quality in Europe is generally quite good, and many major metropolitan areas in the U.S. would be very happy with those air quality data.

According to that report, only about 7% of Europe's urban population live in an area that is in non-attainment with the NO2 ambient air quality standard. Even then, for reasons which you or other European members may be able to elucidate, Europe decided to adopt the WHO air quality guidance (AQG) for NO2, but *NOT* for any of the other criteria pollutants. The ambient AQS and WHO AQG are set at 40 µg/m3, which is more than twice as strict as the U.S. NAAQS (53 ppb or 100 µg/m3). There are no monitors in any of the EU's member nations that would be in non-attainment with the NO2 NAAQS (there are none in the U.S. either).

If Europe had adopted the WHO AQG for the other criteria pollutants, 50% of Europe's urban population would live in an area that exceeds the WHO AQG for PM10, 85% that exceeds PM2.5, 96% that exceeds ozone, and 38% that exceeds SO2. Based on the official (legally enforceable) AQS, 16% of the urban population lives in an area that exceeds PM10, 8% that exceeds PM2.5, 8% that exceeds ozone, and 0% that exceeds SO2.

It should be noted that no European monitor would exceed the U.S. ozone NAAQS, according to that report. The major air quality issue in the U.S. is ozone (especially California). The WHO AQG for ozone in Europe is 100 µg/m3 or about 48 ppb (EU AQS is 120 µg/m3 or about 57 ppb); the ozone NAAQS in the U.S. was recently lowered to 70 ppb.

Ireland has especially clean air, almost pristine according to the report, so there are really no reasons to clamp down on diesel emissions or anything else for that matter.
 
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