An interesting article in one of the Automotive industry trade magazines about emissions from cars, and the very narrow focus on Co2.

As a cyclist, it's never the Co2 pollution from cars that I'm worried about, its the particulate emissions which is the stuff which will get sucked into your lungs. Diesels are always bad from this viewpoint, which is why I made a conscious descision to switch from diesel to petrol when I changed car. It is annoying that by focusing on co2 related incentives to drive purchasing behaviors, Goverments around the world seem to have ignored the dangers of airbourne particulate pollution entirely.

It seems that the 'cleanest' car on sale, when taking about particulates, is the 1.2!

Follow this link- article on page 7

Edited 6 August, 201015 yr by mwas123

An interesting article in one of the Automotive industry trade magazines about emissions from cars, and the very narrow focus on Co2.

As a cyclist, it's never the Co2 pollution from cars that I'm worried about, its the particulate emissions which is the stuff which will get sucked into your lungs. Diesels are always bad from this viewpoint, which is why I made a conscious descision to switch from diesel to petrol when I changed car. It is annoying that by focusing on co2 related incentives to drive purchasing behaviors, Goverments around the world seem to have ignored the dangers of airbourne particulate pollution entirely.

It seems that the 'cleanest' car on sale, when taking about particulates, is the 1.2!

Follow this link- article on page 7

When you relate to life in the big cities - as you do, I agree that Hydrocarbon, NOx and particulates are the immediate pollutants that efect you. The modern Diesel with DPF and catalyst, as the Yeti, is very clean from a particulate standpoint, and also as far as unburnt hydrocarbons are concerned. Not quite so as far as the NOx and SOx are concerned, as the combustion of the particulates do add some NOx afetr the filter.

Outside of the cities, the CO2 is the major concern, as it is long lasting as an effect, wehre the others are not. NOx and SOx break down in the atmospher, and hydrocarbons eventually get eaten by microbes, whereas CO2 persists.