Paris Moves to Ban All Gas-Powered Cars by 2030

Paris has just announced some great news when it comes to its future carbon footprint – France’s capital authorities plan to ban all gasoline and diesel-fueled cars from the city. The move signals rapid progress in the plan to clean the area of gas-powered cars and, instead, introduce electric vehicles – and it is set to come into effect by the year 2030.

As reported by Business Insider, the ban was announced in Paris City Hall on October 12, 2017. According to the statement, France set a target date for 2040 to get rid of all cars dependent on fossil fuels – and in order to make that deadline, large cities would have to make the transition even sooner.

Christophe Najdovski, an official responsible for transport policy at the office of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, said that the decision was about planning for the long-term and a strategy to reduce greenhouse gases. “Transport is one of the main greenhouse gas producers … so we are planning an exit from combustion engine vehicles, or fossil-energy vehicles, by 2030,” he told France Info radio.

Paris is frequently forced to impose temporary bans on gas-fueled cars due to dangerous surges in particle Pollution in the air. Due to the negative response to current “no car days,” Paris City Hall emphasized that it was not really using the word “ban” for the new rule, but rather setting a feasible deadline by which the polluting vehicles would be phased out.

The good news is not many Parisians own cars but rather rely on the extensive public transport systems or use bike, scooter, and hybrid engine car rental networks.

A number of other cities are considering taking a similar step as well. China, the biggest polluter after the U.S., has recently stated that it would be interested in a ban of combustion-engine vehicles.

The ban on gas-powered cars is a huge step in the direction of minimizing Pollution, especially since it is about to be introduced in one of the most beloved and most visited by tourists city in the world – and, hopefully, its example will soon be followed by many cities from all around the world.

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