Can we travel without polluting?

July 27, 2023 Environment

Over the last two decades evidence is clear that air pollution is damaging health and economic outcomes. Transport is one of the main contributors.

In the European car market, the industry is subject to a multitude of environmental regulations: emission standards, fuel taxes, registration taxes and ownership taxes. Project "Breathe in, breathe out: regulation on the European automobile market and air quality" investigates the economic and environmental impact of such regulations. How is air quality in Europe affected by vehicle taxation? Do policies that target carbon emissions improve or deteriorate air quality? Are governments exploiting environmental regulations to favor their national industries? How does a national regulation affect other European countries?

Thanks to funding from the French National Research Agency, Isis Durrmeyer and Mathias Reynaert strive to deepen understanding of regulatory interventions and their effects on economic activity and the environment.

As this project reaches its conclusion, TSE invited experts involved in the ANR project to the Workshop on Policy and the Automobile Market Transition, to think together about the role of policy, electrification, and the implications for air pollution. This video highlights the research and interactions between policy design and resulting air pollution on individuals with the hope of providing inputs for the design of smarter policies.

This video has been funded by a French government subsidy managed by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche under the framework of the investissements d’avenir programme reference ANR-18-CE03-0003-01.