How can traffic which causes air pollution be controlled?

Sub: Env

Sec: Pollution

The Severity of Air Pollution in India:

Recent reports highlight that 83 of the world’s 100 most polluted cities are in India.
Air pollution has resulted in the deaths of 2.1 million people, second only to China.
Over 99% of India’s population breathes air below WHO‘s recommended quality standards.
The International Energy Associates reports that 12% of India’s CO2 emissions are from road transport, with heavy vehicles contributing the majority of PM2.5 and NOx emissions.
PM2.5 pollutants can reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream, causing severe respiratory and cardiovascular issues.
Heavy vehicles contribute to 60-70% of vehicular PM emissions and 40-50% of NOx emissions in urban areas, exacerbating the formation of ground-level ozone and air pollution.

Measures Taken to Combat Air Pollution:

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has developed the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) norms for cars to reduce emissions.
The transition from the Modified India Driving Cycle (MIDC) to the World Light Duty Vehicle Testing Procedure (WLTP) by March 31, 2027, aims to provide a more accurate measure of a vehicle’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Proposed CAFE III and IV emissions targets are set at 91.7g CO2/km and 70g CO2/km, respectively, encouraging innovation and cleaner technologies.
However, the CAFE norms exclude heavy vehicles like trucks, lorries, and other freight vehicles, which are significant contributors to emissions.

Additional Measures and Challenges:

The government’s vehicle scrappage policy, introduced in 2022, aims to phase out old and polluting vehicles by requiring a “fitness and emissions test” for passenger vehicles older than 20 years and commercial vehicles older than 15 years.
The policy’s implementation in Karnataka is limited due to the presence of only two scrapyards and its voluntary nature.
Maharashtra offers incentives like road tax discounts or new vehicle purchase discounts to encourage scrapping, but the impact on air pollution remains limited.

Vehicle scrappage policy

Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) norms:

CAFE norms aim at lowering fuel consumption (or improving fuel efficiency) of vehicles.
It is achieved by lowering carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Thus, it serves the twin purposes of reducing dependence on oil for fuel and controlling pollution.
Corporate Average refers to sales-volume weighted average for every auto manufacturer.
The norms are applicable for petrol, diesel, LPG and CNG passenger vehicles.
The CAFE regulations are in place in many advanced as well as developing nations, including India.
CAFE regulations in India came into force from April 1, 2017.
Under this, average corporate CO2 emission must be less than 130 gm per km till 2022 and below 113 gm per km thereafter.
In other words, it requires cars to be 10% or more fuel efficient between 2017 and 2021, and 30% or more fuel efficient from 2022, in terms of CO2 emission.

Source: TH