New call to action demands cities tackle poor air quality
The TRUE Initiative launched a new call to action for urban policymakers in ‘Counting on clean air – a call to action’, a new report charting the work of the Initiative and gathering the key elements that can help every city achieve safe, clean air for all its citizens.
Addressing the health and climate impact of vehicle emissions, the call highlights the vital steps that cities take immediate action to fully address harmful emissions from vehicles.
Through the open and independent data gathered and analysed by the TRUE Initiative has.
The report identifies a number of key steps for urban-policymakers to meet local action with a global network:
- Support the creation of regional real-world emissions databases covering the majority of the global vehicle market;
- Use real-world emissions data to identify high-emitting vehicles and enforce emission policies;
- Demand cleaner fleets in all existing vehicles, supported by policies such as LEZs using real-world data; and
- Aid in the funding of programs to expand the use of real-world emissions in policymaking.
The report also highlights the key findings of real-world emissions testing spanning European and US fleets since the launch of the Initiative and the forthcoming data to emerge from Eastern Europe, South East Asia and Latin America.
Sheila Watson, Deputy Director of the FIA Foundation, said: “Access to real-world data and experts can help cities craft effective and data-driven policies. By working with TRUE Initiative and using the key steps identified in our new call to action, urban decision-makers can have the tools to deliver better air quality and health outcomes for all.”
Drew Kodjak, Executive Director of the International Council on Clean Transportation, said: “Gasoline and diesel vehicles, and the harmful emissions they produce, will be on the roads of cities for many years to come. It is vital that these emissions are monitored and policies are enacted to accelerate the transition to zero-emission. The data and analysis performed by TRUE can be used by cities to both craft policies to address vehicle emissions and to assess if policies are working as intended. The work of TRUE remains an essential under-pinning to the sort of policy framework which we so desperately need to clean up the air in our cities and protect the health of urban residents.”
Read the 'Annual Report 2021: Counting on Clean Air - A Call to Action' report