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Countries with weak import regulations have high rates of traffic fatalities (News)
The report, the first of its kind on the subject, is titled “Used Vehicles and the Environment: A Comprehensive Overview of Used Light Vehicles: Flow, Rules and Regulations.” He explained that between 2015 and 2018, around 14 million used light vehicles were exported globally, of which 80% were exported to low- and middle-income countries. African countries imported the highest proportion of these compounds (40%), followed by countries in Eastern Europe (24%), Asia and the Pacific (15%), the Middle East (12%) and Latin America (9%) . The report noted that the Netherlands, through its ports, is one of the largest exporters of used cars in Europe. However, it noted that most of its exports of these vehicles did not have a valid roadworthiness certificate at the time of export, and that the life of most vehicles ranges between 16 and 20 years, and that the standards of most of them are lower than the European vehicle emission standards (EURO4).
The report covered 146 importing countries (including Lebanon) and found that two-thirds of these countries have “weak” or “very weak” policies to regulate the import of used cars. It adds to the significant increase in emissions, the increase in air pollution rates and the negative impact on climate change caused by the use of old cars, in addition to the decrease in safety ratios and the increase in the possibility of accidents all types. The report showed that poor quality used vehicles increase traffic accidents and that many countries with “weak” or “very weak” systems have had very high rates of fatalities from these accidents.
The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program, Inger Andersen, described the export of used cars from developed countries to developing countries as “the export of contaminated vehicles … and developed countries should stop to export vehicles that do not comply with the environmental and safety inspection standards and that are not suitable for traffic in their countries. ” While importing countries should apply stricter quality standards. “And he stressed that following environmental standards in the global fleet of vehicles is” a priority to achieve the objectives of improving air quality and protecting the global and local climate.
Most of the export vehicles in Europe, America and Japan are not roadworthy
Lebanon, whose regulations allow the importation of cars up to age eight and has failed to control smuggling, is not far from this assessment. It is true that there are no precise studies on air pollution rates caused by the transport sector in general, due to the lack of sufficient fixed and mobile measuring devices. But it can be said that the situation here is very bad, since the regulations issued by customs or by car registration services do not accurately show the size of imported cars with the exact distinction in their ages. And due to the economic crisis, there has recently been a lax mechanical inspection, which is seen as a safety valve to monitor and control emissions, and the specifications of the fuel used in the transportation sector have been out of control. And it is likely, with the worsening of the crisis, that things will get worse, as the demand for used cars is expected to increase with the fall in the purchasing power of neighbors, which is confirmed by data on a significant drop in new car sales of all kinds in recent years.
The report called for steps to be taken to fill current gaps in import and regulatory policies by adopting harmonized minimum quality standards that ensure that used vehicles contribute to creating cleaner and safer fleets in importing countries. He noted that countries that have implemented measures to manage the import of used cars (especially vehicle life and emissions standards) have gained access to higher quality used vehicles, including hybrids and electric, to affordable prices.
In this context, he referred to the experience of Morocco, which does not allow the importation of vehicles with more than five years, provided that they comply with European vehicle emission standards. However, he did not indicate that this country recorded high rates of air pollution after replacing the public transport fleet with diesel cars that meet European standards, as it was found that no matter how improved the engines and the type of fuel , the emitted fine particles become invisible … However, this does not reduce lethal emissions, not In fact, reducing the size of the tiny particles has been shown to increase their ability to penetrate the lungs and cause cancerous diseases .
Also, the report did not mention Jordan’s experience in opening the door to the import of hybrid cars (they operate half gasoline and half electricity). The Jordanian experience showed that importing American hybrid four-wheel drive cars with large engines did not save much in the air due to their large engine, high fuel consumption and weight.
What are light vehicles?
The report classifies “light vehicles” as those with a total weight of less than 3.5 tonnes, which also include sedans, SUVs and minibuses. Vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tons are classified as “heavy vehicles” and include different types of trucks and buses.
The most dangerous emissions
The transport sector (particularly the rapidly growing fleet of small vehicles) is a major contributor to air pollution and climate change. Globally, it is responsible for a quarter of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. The most dangerous emissions from vehicles are fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are among the main causes of urban air pollution.
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