How Paris saw big change in air pollution after bidding goode to cars | World News
Paris has changed a lot over the last 20 years not just in the way it looks, but in the way it breathes. The French capital has taken big steps to cut car traffic, swap roads for bike lanes, and build more green spaces. As a result, the air has become much cleaner.
According to The Washington Post, a group that monitors air quality in the region, Airparif, reported this week that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has dropped 55 percent since 2005. Nitrogen dioxide, another harmful pollutant, has fallen 50 per cent. These changes, they said, are thanks to “regulations and public policies,” such as cutting down traffic and banning the most polluting vehicles.
Heat maps from 20 years ago showed much of Paris glowing red with nitrogen dioxide, meaning nearly every neighbourhood was above the EU’s safe limit. But 2023, the red had faded, showing only a few lines of pollution along major roads and highways.
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Health experts call air pollution a “silent killer” because it often leads to serious illnesses, including asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer and heart problems.
Anne Hidalgo, Paris’s mayor since 2014, has led these green changes. As The Washington Post noted, she has long called for “a Paris that breathes, a Paris that is more agreeable to live in.” Under her leadership, the city has removed 50,000 parking spots, banned most car traffic on the Rue de Rivoli, and turned a stretch of the Seine’s riverbank into a pedestrian zone.
Just last month, Parisians voted in favour of turning 500 more streets over to walkers. A year earlier, the city tripled parking fees for SUVs, charging drivers much more than for smaller cars.
Not everyone supports the changes. Some suburban commuters, a car owners’ group, and right-wing politicians have pushed back, saying life has become harder for those who rely on cars.Story continues below this ad
But experts argue that the city’s health gains are worth it. Carlos Moreno, an adviser to the city and professor at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, told The Washington Post that Paris has built “an urban policy based on well-being.”
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