Recently the council of Hammersmith and Fulham has instituted a new law saying stating that stationary cars will be charged a maximum fine of £80 if their engines are not turned off, as of 1st November 2018, which will continue for a total period of 18 months. This law was made as a result of the increasingly worrying effects of car pollution as a catalyst for greenhouse gases and global warming. Yes, car pollution has been a seemingly omnipresent cause of environmental issues, but seeing someone in power, especially the local council, taking such an environmentally positive action is still surprising. Humanity for years has complained and worried for how all of our pollution will finally come back to bite us, but not done very much about it, or at least, not gotten very much results. But now, with the council of Hammersmith and fulham involved and setting a more serious example for the rest of society, there is a better chance that pollution will improve, especially since there is an immediate consequence. Thea Bronlund, a Bloomberg employee who formerly worked in the energy department, states “I agree with it. It is good for the environment and leaving the engine running can often be unnecessary, especially when people are dropping off or picking up and they leave the engine running.” Other benefits of the fine include, as I've briefly mentioned, a more forceful method of reducing car pollution, that will not only decrease gases, but increase awareness of the unconscious ways in which we add to our problem.
Regarding cars, other actions are being taken, not just in Hammersmith and fulham, but all over the world, in order to reduce how much toxic gas we humans are create from resources in our daily lives. An excellent example is electric cars, which are now being promoted and introduced to countries across the world with the hope of all cars, at the rate of current sales, being zero emission by 2032, rather than 2040, according to MPs. Countries are truly taking the extra measure to encourage the global population to get rid of gas-producing cars; in the UK free charging stations, including testing wireless charging and lampposts with chargers, are being placed all over the country so that electric cars encounter little to no problem when it comes to battery. The UK is predicted to need approximately 60,000 charging stations by 2021, all of this according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Road taxes are also being made free for all electric cars, and in Scandinavia, an amazingly progressive total of 2% of all cars are now electric, which may seem like a small number, but because many people are currently more comfortable with gas-producing cars despite their effects, for a country to make this achievement proves that the world is moving in the right direction.
Furthermore, in order for electric cars to be successfully implemented as the new form of transport for users of gas-producing cars, 1.3 million more electric cars must be sold, over the anticipated 1.7 million sales for 2040, meaning that attempting to replace most of gas-producing cars by this time will be difficult, however, with the UK and other governments making movements promoting electric cars, and even local councils taking air pollution into consideration, it seems that the once so dire consequences of humanity’s environmental damage may be more easily reduced than we thought! Especially with 92% of the world breathing in polluted air, the chance of these numbers changing is more important than ever. Other methods may also arise in the future, leading to an even sooner and more significant change in pollution; Bronlund mentions the idea that “buses are made with engines that automatically switch off when the bus is stationary, so why not include this in cars while manufacturing?”. As more of these ideas arise, so will the likelihood of a cleaner future.
