Excessive pollution as a result of the diesel scandal killed about 16,000 people in the UK and caused 30,000 asthma cases in children, according to a new analysis. The researchers said that 6000 previous deaths would occur in the coming years without procedure.
The diesel scandal erupted in 2015 when it was found that diesel cars emitted more toxic air pollution on the roads than they were when they passed the organizational tests, due to the use of illegal “defeat devices”.
Large fines and compulsory calls for vehicles have been made to remove or disable defeat devices in the United States. But experts say that the United Kingdom and most of the European Union countries have left the knees, which led to devastating effects on health, and urged us to take immediate action. Many millions of High diesel compounds remain polluted on the roads In the United Kingdom and the European Union.
The analysis estimated the effect of excess pollution only due to defeat devices, not the total emissions of cars. In the United Kingdom, these extra emissions led to 800,000 days of pathological leave and complete economic burden due to deaths and bad health of 96 billion pounds by 2024.
All parts of the United Kingdom and the European Union combined, the repercussions of Dieseljet included about 124,000 early deaths and economic damage of 760 billion euros (637 billion pounds), and the study is estimated. Without procedure, 81,000 early deaths and 430 billion euros are offered by 2040, while most diesel cars will not be in use.
“Our calculations reveal the extensive health effects and destructive destruction of excessive diesel emissions – countless children are advancing,” said Dr. Jimmy Kelly, at the Research Center on Energy and Energy.
“This is a crisis with a long legacy and survival,” he said. “Without action, these effects will extend to the future, which affects future generations. Governments bear the responsibility for breaking this session.”
“The size of the UK government’s response was completely not fully proportional to the public health crisis we are facing. Auto manufacturers have been trying to sweep the diesel scandal in the shadow of the carpet for a long time.“
“Millions of diesel cars are still on our roads, which are high levels of pollution, which cost our health, especially the health of our children,” said Jemima Hartshorn, of the mothers of the group of campaigns for the lungs.
The defeat devices were illegal since before the diesel scandal, but in 2020, the new UK’s law has set a duty on the government to investigate vehicles suspected of using defeat devices. In 2021, the new authorities enabled the government to establish laws that could force manufacturers to call vehicles on environmental grounds. These forces have not yet been used, although they believe that it is planned to consult.
In 2023, the agent sent a legal complaint to the government based on strong evidence that many vehicles that used defeat devices remained on the road. After this, and The government said in 2024 He was achieving in 47 different styles for cars under 20 brands by 11 manufacturers, and this would follow more.
In the United States, the organizers fined the Volkswagen 1.45 billion pounds, and the company also had to pay $ 5 billion in pollution mitigation boxes for its role in diesel. He was also forced to repair or buy cars again. On the other hand, the UK did not impose any fines on any auto company or forced any summons. “In the United Kingdom, the European Union in general, there was no place near the same level of accountability,” Kersi said.
Instead, individual consumers were left to fight for financial compensation from manufacturers through UK courts, leaving excessive vehicles polluted on our roads. Nearly 2 million claims to consumers in the Supreme Court are now being followed up against 18 automatic manufacturers claiming to have used the banned defeat.
In 2022, Volkswagen agreed to pay 193 million pounds to 91,000 drivers In England and Wales. Some auto manufacturers have made voluntary calls to repair vehicles, but general information about this matter is limited, and only a small part of the affected vehicles will be covered.
the Crea report Data is used on car fleets and emissions in the real world and a model for estimating the effect of excess emissions due to diesel. Models have been widely used in scientific research, relationships between nitrogen dioxide, pollution of small particles, poor health and deaths from published studies.
The analysis was considered in emissions that were more than twice the legal limit as a surplus and certainly due to the use of defeat devices. These vehicles covered the diesel approved from 2009. The tested of the most stringent real world was carried out in the European Union in 2021.
Professor Susan Partington, from the University of Birmingham, UK, said it was clear that toxic emissions led to early deaths and diseases. She said that a more conservative approach did not add early deaths than NO2 and from small molecules together, because it is not clear to what extent they each contributes to the deaths individually.
“We tend to use the highest of any estimates,” she said. This approach would give an estimate of 13,000 deaths in the United Kingdom by 2024, instead of Crea’s central estimate of 16,000.
On Monday, a regional court in Germany I sentenced four former Volkswagen managers on charges of fraudSending two to prison and two suspended rulings.
Divide Transmission The spokesman said: “Defeat devices are illegal and misleading drivers and can have negative health effects on the public. We are routinely achieved and strongly from the criteria for emissions and quickly behaved to conduct an investigation into this matter. We will work with the industry to solve any specific problems.”
