In London, the town hall becomes aware of the dangers of diesel on health

According to a recent study, one in five people die of pollution in the English capital. The main culprit would be diesel. Faced with this public health problem, the government is proposing to multiply electric cars and the use of low-emission technologies.

London is known for its world city side, its cultural and festive riches, but a darker aspect of the city is emerging today: its level of pollution, among the highest in Europe. Eddie Connor, a 41-year-old actor from London who suffers from acute asthma, knows only too well: "I start to cough, and my breathing becomes difficult. Like someone put plastic wrap on my face", he describes to AFP.

Those responsible, according to him? Pollution, and in particular fumes from diesel engines. Some places in central London are among the most polluted in Europe and emissions exceed European Union standards, although the British capital ranks no worse than Amsterdam and Paris.

One in five deaths due to pollution

More than 9400 deaths were linked to pollution in 2010 in London, according to a study by King's College London (KCL) published in July. Or a fifth of the deaths of that year. Research has shown for the first time the health consequences of two pollutants contained in diesel emissions, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (or PM2.5), and the unsuspected scale of the problem.

"Radical measures could be taken now!", exclaims James Thornton, a former lawyer specializing in environmental issues, who won his case against the British government this year for failing to comply with EU standards. "It's not rocket science, he said to AFP. We need ultra-low emission zones, we need to ban the most polluting diesels and we need to take traffic control measures."

A multi-billion slate

Most cars sold in the UK run on diesel, which was deemed cheaper and less harmful to the environment than petrol, and as such included in government campaigns to cut carbon dioxide emissions. But it has since been shown that the fine particles contained in diesel emissions can cause various health problems by entering the lungs and passing into the blood.

Cost for the London economy: up to 3,7 billion pounds (5 billion euros) per year, according to the KCL study. In the World Bank (WB) ranking, London is the 2516^e most polluted city out of 3226 cities with more than 100.000 inhabitants. A position certainly higher than those of Amsterdam and Paris. But in the large commercial artery of Oxford Street, congested with buses and taxis, the level of pollution is among the highest in Europe.

Multiplication of electric cars?

For Gary Fuller, pollution scientist at KCL, the Volkswagen scandal and cheating on pollution tests may explain the high levels of NO2 in London. "It's been a while, since at least 2003, that we've been pointing out that pollution hasn't gone down the way it should have", he said to AFP.

The government acknowledged in an air quality report last month that the impact of NO2 and particulates "represented a challenge to public health" while considering that the limits set by the EU would not be respected before 2025, given "size and complexity" of the capital's transport network.

The report suggests the proliferation of electric cars and the use of low-emission technologies, proposals that come following a Supreme Court ruling outlawing NO2 levels in the UK.

Awareness

The mayor of London assures that the mayor's plans will make it possible to meet the EU criteria in 80% of the city by 2020. In the meantime, the ex-Secretary of State for Science Paul Drayson, himself asthmatic, has created an application, CleanSpace, powered by a community of informants whose data allows the user to take the least polluted routes. He hopes "a big step forward in awareness. People lack useful, usable information about the air quality where they are and how to reduce their vulnerability", he says.

Lara Charmeil (with AFP)