Pollution: German court bans diesel cars

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One of Germany’s top courts has ruled that heavily polluting vehicles can be banned from the urban centres of Stuttgart and Düsseldorf.

This is a landmark ruling which could cause traffic chaos and dramatically hit the value of diesel cars on the country’s roads.

Environmental campaigners had sued dozens of German cities, arguing that they have a duty to cut excessive air pollution to protect people’s health.

Diesel cars emit nitrogen oxides, or NOx, that causes respiratory illnesses and thousands of premature deaths annually.

Some 70 German cities including Munich, Stuttgart and Cologne recorded average nitrogen dioxide levels above EU thresholds in 2017, according to the Federal Environment Agency (UBA).

The federal government and Germany’s powerful auto industry lobby have always opposed any new restrictions for diesel cars.

Instead, ministers led by Chancellor…



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