Diesel pollution scam kills 16,000 in the UK
Environmental charity ClientEarth are taking legal action against the government.
A new report from Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air shows that excess pollution from the so-called Dieselgate scam has caused 16,000 premature deaths and 30,000 cases of asthma in children in the UK.
The term Dieselgate is used to describe a controversy from 2015 where it was discovered that auto-manufacturer Volkswagen was fiddling its factory emissions testing so that it appeared that its vehicles were creating less pollution than they really were. The revelation resulted in further investigations that showed multiple other auto-manufacturers were up to the same dirty tricks.
A decade on the implications of this corporate deceit are making themselves known. The new report shows that “across the EU and UK, excess emissions are projected to cause severe public health and economic consequences over the period of 2009 to 2040”:
205,000 premature deaths
152,000 new cases of asthma in children
42,000 years lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
24,000,000 sick leave days
EUR 1.20 trillion in economic burden from health impacts
The UK government has been indifferent to these mind-boggling numbers in contrast to the US where Volkswagen were forced to buy the killer vehicles back, pay a $1.45 billion fine and another $3 billion to help reduce pollution in road transport.
This is why environmental charity ClientEarth are taking steps to make the UK government take greater responsibility to address the issue. ClientEarth lawyer Emily Kearsey said:
Car companies have been trying to sweep the Dieselgate scandal under the carpet for too long. It’s been nearly a decade – governments must stop stalling and hold polluters accountable now. If any recalls take place, the law makes it clear that it’s up to manufacturers to foot the bill.
And this is not just about justice for those 16,000 people in the UK who died premature deaths, nor the 30,000 children whose lives will be limited by asthma. It’s also about looking forward, according to Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air:
Immediate intervention by governments and auto manufacturers, such as investigating and recalling vehicles suspected to be using illegal defeat devices, could reduce future harm and lead to significant health and economic benefits.
This is just one example of a common pattern: polluting corporations make products that kill us, lie about them and have their cronies in government ensure that not much happens about it. These killers are indifferent to the health and wellbeing of the rest of us. They cannot be reasoned with: they must be forced out of businesses and out of power.