Copenhagen's mayor wants to deal a major blow to diesel-fueled cars—but not trucks.
Frank Jensen, the city's mayor, says that he will propose legislation to ban new diesel cars from entering the Danish capital by January 1, 2019.
Jensen's plan would not apply to vehicles bought and registered prior to the close of 2018, and it appears to leave out diesel-fueled vans and trucks. It's that last point that makes it far less aggressive than bans set to take effect in many other European cities.
Denmark's parliament will have to pass any legislation, however.
The flag of Denmark
Copenhagen estimates that around 80 people a year die as a result of pollution in the Scandinavian city. The city of about three-quarters of a million inhabitants has a higher rate of diesel car ownership than Denmark as a whole, reports The Copenhagen Post.
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Other European cities have begun banning diesel vehicles. Paris has been perhaps the most aggressive, but the birthplace of diesel—Germany—has also begun to move away from the fuel type.
Jensen has packaged his anti-diesel initiative with other law changes, including limiting wood-burning stoves, requiring cruise ships docked at the city's ports to operate on electricity, and moving forward with more electrified buses.
Maritime emissions are one of the largest contributors to Cophenhagen's iffy air quality, which exceeds European Union limits set for nitrogen dioxide.
