LONDON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The British government confirmed on Wednesday that it will end the sale of all new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040, which is part of the new plans to tackle air pollution.
Today's announcement is focused on delivering nitrogen dioxide (NO2) compliance at the roadside in the shortest amount of time, according to the government. Next year Britain will publish a comprehensive Clean Air Strategy which will address other sources of air pollution.
To accelerate action local areas will be asked to produce initial plans within eight months and final plans by the end of next year. The British government will help towns and cities by providing 255 million pounds (332 million U.S. dollars) to implement their plans, in addition to the 2.7 billion pounds already being invested.
The government will also issue a consultation in the autumn to gather views on measures to support motorists, residents and businesses affected by local plans, such as retrofitting, subsidized car club memberships, exemptions from any vehicles restrictions, or a targeted scrappage scheme for car and van drivers.
Britain is one of 17 European Union (EU) countries breaching annual targets for nitrogen dioxide, a problem which has been made worse by the failure of the European testing regime for vehicle emissions, according to the government.
Today's plan sets out how the government will work with local authorities to tackle the effects of roadside pollution caused by dirty diesels, in particular nitrogen dioxide, said Michael Gove, Britain's environment secretary.
This is one element of the government's three-billion-pound program to clean up the air and reduce vehicle emissions, added Gove.
