The European Union on Thursday proposed stricter emissions rules for the continent’s last generation of combustion engines, a move aimed at reducing particulate pollution in the continent’s cities.
The bloc said the new rules for the so-called Euro-7 generation of engines would further reduce by about a quarter the amount of nitrous oxides that diesel engines can emit. Nitrous oxides can damage the human respiratory tract, worsening conditions like lung infections and asthma and potentially causing chronic lung disease.
“Road transport is the largest source of air pollution in cities,” the EU said in a statement, adding that the new regulations will lead to a third less nitrous oxide emitted by 2035 than current rules allow. “The new Euro 7 standards will ensure cleaner vehicles on our roads and improve air quality, protecting the health of our citizens and the environment.”