The world has felt the negative effects of global warming. Lately, it is becoming clearer and clearer that we need to do more in order to safeguard the future of our children by protecting our most valuable commodity, the planet. It’s not like we can replace our Earth for another one, because if there are indeed other habitable planets out there, we do not yet possess the technology to traverse deep space and transport humanity safely through it.
A lot of governments and institutions responded to the call of collectively acting and helping curb and defeat global warming before it is too late. Among that group comes Oxford. A city located at the South East part of England and home to more than 160 thousand people. The University City has made known to the public its plans to make itself a wicker to start Britain’s move in fighting pollution by banning gasoline and diesel cars.
The “Zero Emission Zone” will be located at its city center and will prohibit combustion engine vehicles from passing through.
John Tanner, a city council board member talked about everyone, “…doing their bit,” to help in alleviating the public health emergency the city is now experiencing.
Starting in 2020, the ban will include taxi, cars, and buses running in petroleum products and will be enforced in six central streets. This combustion-vehicle-free zone will be gradually expanded to include a larger scope in terms of the number of streets and vehicle types until 2035 – thus making the first Zero Emissions Zone in the entire continent of Europe, if not the world.
To implement the ban, the business, public, and private sector is estimated to take a $14m loss. The $7m investment will be incurred by the Oxford Bus Company, Stagecoach, taxi firms, and various other businesses in order to replace the discarded vehicle types with more environment friendly types, while the other $7m will be used by the councils to implement the ban properly – setting up a CCTV system, charging points for electric cars, and other infrastructures that ensure the ban will be followed.
In addition to this radical move to curb pollution, Britain announced it will follow suit with the plans made by governments from France, Spain, Mexico, and Greece to ban the sale of diesel and gasoline cars by 2040.
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