VEHICULAR POLLUTION

1. Background

California is to ban the sale of new petrol-only vehicles by 2035, marking a historic step in the state's attempts to tackle climate change.

The new rules are aimed to force car makers to accelerate the introduction to the market of cleaner vehicles.
The move is important as California is the most populous state in the US and one of the world's biggest economies.
Under the rules, issued by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), 35% of new vehicles sold in the state must be electric, hybrid or hydrogen-powered by 2026.
The regulations would apply to 68% of vehicle sales by 2030, and 100% by 2035.

2. Issues associated with global vehicular pollution

The transport sector accounts for a quarter of overall emissions, with road transport accounting for three-quarters of total emissions (and 15 per cent of the total global CO2 emissions).
Passenger vehicles account for the largest share of this, accounting for around 45 per cent of CO2 emissions.
If trends continue, annual GHG emissions in 2050 will be 90% higher than in 2020.

3. The Indian scenario of Vehicular pollution

India is the fifth-largest global car manufacturer with one of the highest compound annual growth rates (10 per cent) of vehicle registration as of 2019.
Due to economic growth, and continued aspiration for vehicle ownership, the annual car sales in India are projected to increase from the current 3.5 million to about 10.5 million — a three times increase — by 2030.
Cars and two-wheelers will dominate the fleet with a share of about 87 per cent.
This will increase exposure to vehicular exhaust emissions. This requires not only improvement in emissions standards but also improvement in measurement procedures for emissions testing of vehicles to keep them low-emitting on roads.
In 2023, some major reforms in testing procedures are expected. This needs to be informed well.
In India, vehicle technology is changing rapidly with changes in fuel quality, exhaust treatment systems of the internal combustion engines (ICE), electrification of vehicle segments and steps toward hydrogen-powered vehicles.
But the current and future batches of ICE vehicles are likely to have a substantial share in the on-road fleet till 2040, if not beyond. This not only requires substantial tightening of the emissions standards but also modification of technical parameters for testing of vehicles to reduce the emissions in the real world.

4. Vehicular emissions in India

Vehicular emissions are a major source of air pollution in urban areas.
Vehicular emissions typically contribute 20-30% of Particulate Matter (PM2.5)at the breathing level of air quality.
PM2.5 particles have a diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometres (more than 100 times thinner than a human hair) and are suspended for a longer period.
Vehicles emit approximately 290 gigagrams(Gg) of PM2.5, according to studies.
At the same time, the transport sector accounts for around 8% of total GHG emissions in India, with Delhi accounting for more than 30%.

5. Limitations in India's effort to reduce emissions

Vehicle technology in India is rapidly evolving, with improvements in fuel quality, exhaust treatment systems for Internal Combustion Engines (ICE), electrification of vehicle segments, and advances toward hydrogen-powered vehicles.
However, the current and future batches of ICE vehicles are expected to have a substantial share of the on-road fleet until 2040, if not beyond.
This will require not only substantial tightening of emissions standards but also modification of technical criteria used to test vehicles to achieve real-world emission reductions.

6. Challenges associated with petroleum-based Cars

The fuel efficiency of petrol cars is considerably lesser than diesel cars and therefore they can be considered better mileage cars in India
They typically have more CO2 emission and therefore the tax amount will be more for petrol cars
Depreciation hits the petrol cars harder and therefore petrol vehicles do not have a lot of resale value compared to diesel cars
The petrol engine is not usable in much larger vehicles such as SUVs, pickups, and trucks

7. Role of India in a sustainable planet

India's five new pledges are net-zero emissions by 2070, and by 2030 achieving a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW, 50% energy requirements from renewable sources, reducing total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes and reducing the carbon intensity of the economy to less than 45%
The Government of India launched the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) outlining eight National Missions on climate change. These include National Solar Mission. National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency
To improve long-term air quality, the Indian Government launched the National Clean Air Program (NCAP)

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