It’s probably not surprising to read that reducing the number of cars in a city center is a positive step towards cleaner, healthier air. However, actually putting that policy into practice is a far more daunting task. Yet Paris has achieved just such a victory, and the statistics on the city’s declining air pollution could be just the encouragement that other urban areas need to follow suit.
The independent organization Airparif has been tracking air quality in the French capital for years, collecting data about the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide levels around the Île-de-France region throughout the 20-year effort to decrease air pollution. This week, they announced that the average PM2.5 concentration in Paris is now 55% lower than in 2005. Likewise, the average nitrogen dioxide concentration has fallen by 50%. The group also noted that between 2010 and 2019, premature deaths linked to air pollution fell by a third.
The difference is strikingly apparent in maps of air pollution levels produced by Airparif, with the majority of Paris transforming from dangerous red to a far more livable yellow or green. However, residents who live near major roads, especially the Paris ring road, are still regularly exposed to pollution levels that exceed European Union regulatory limits.
Efforts to improve air quality in Paris have been sweeping. Policies have included removing around 50,000 parking spaces and replacing roads with bike lanes. The city, which has been under the leadership of Mayor Anne Hidalgo since 2014, has heavily incentivized switching to cycling or public transport while prioritizing the construction of parks and other green spaces. Conversely, high-emission vehicles (especially older diesel vehicles) have been heavily restricted (after all, nitrogen dioxide is directly linked to fossil fuel combustion). In addition to road traffic emissions, other regulations have focused on lowering industrial emissions and pollutants.
Breathing easy in Paris:
- Although certain groups, including some understandably frustrated suburban commuters, have pushed back at the policies and regulations, most Parisians support further efforts to improve the air quality in the City of Light. In November 2024, a ban on private cars driving through central Paris was introduced, and a car-sharing lane recently became mandatory during rush hour on the ring road. A recent referendum will pedestrianize hundreds of additional streets, including a significant portion along the Seine. Drivers of large vehicles such as SUVs will have to pay significantly higher parking fees than those with smaller, less polluting cars.
- In their report, Airparif noted that air pollution was responsible for an average of 10 months of reduction in life expectancy for Île-de-France residents and was a notable contributing factor to illnesses such as asthma, COPD, cancer, bronchitis, heart disease, and stroke.
- France will introduce even stricter regulations for air quality by 2030, to bring the country in line with current World Health Organization and EU guidelines.
