Paris said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Paris said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change.
Air pollution fell substantially as the city restricted car traffic and made way for parks and bike lanes.

Chico HarlanYesterday at 6:00 a.m. EDT

Over the past 20 years, Paris has undergone a major physical transformation, trading automotive arteries for bike lanes, adding green spaces and eliminating 50,000 parking spaces.

Part of the payoff has been invisible — in the air itself.

Airparif, an independent group that tracks air quality for France’s capital region, said this week that levels of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) have decreased 55 percent since 2005, while nitrogen dioxide levels have fallen 50 percent. It attributed this to “regulations and public policies,” including steps to limit traffic and ban the most polluting vehicles.

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[NNadir]

1. It also helps that France has some of the cleanest electricity in the world.

Last edited Sun Apr 13, 2025, 04:39 AM - Edit history (1)

They're certainly not burning coal like the assholes in their neighboring country Germany.

[Mister Ed]

3. I think we Americans need to take a long look in the mirror...

...before calling the people of any other nation "assholes" for their energy policies.

[NNadir]

4. I agree; this said, the Germans are bigger energy assholes since they had clean infrastructure and deliberately ...

...shut it down in service to fear and ignorance.

The German energy decision to shut its functional nuclear plants was a decision to kill people and the planet which has destabilized the Western European electricity supply and raised costs.

It, like Brexit, and of course the election of an incompetent insane racist orange slime mold to inhabit the United States is the not exactly equivalent, except in quality, not quantity, but are all features of being resident of being residents of a nation of assholes.

[LudwigPastorius]

2. Huzzah for the French.

When I visited Paris 40 years ago I was greatly disappointed that the view of the city from atop the Eiffel Tower was mostly obscured by smog.

Heck, I may have to go back now just to see what I missed.