China will continue to push consumption away from diesel fuel in favour of rail freight delivery services, according to China Daily, quoting a ministerial report, as the contribution of cars to China’s severe smog problem intensifies.
The report, issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, highlighted that diesel trucks accounted for over 57% of China’s total nitrogen oxide emissions despite constituting only 8% of total vehicles.
An analysis of 15 major pollutants in 15 major Chinese cities also showed that small- to mid-sized vehicles contributed disproportionately to carbon particulate levels in the air, the report continues.
China’s war on pollution has already seen over 20 million low-quality, outdated vehicles taken off the roads in the last five years, with further measures such as congestion charges expected to come.