Paris shrouded in smog.
Paris, France is also going to implement an odd-even license plate policy！ Due to five consecutive days of severe smog in Paris with no signs of improvement, the French Prime Minister’s office announced in the evening of the 15th that on the 17th, Paris and 22 surrounding towns will enforce an odd-even vehicle restriction measure to alleviate the severe smog in the Paris area. French media still emphasized that the pollution danger in Paris is far less than in Chinese cities like Beijing.
According to French newspaper Le Parisien, the announcement stated that the principle of odd-even restrictions means vehicles with odd-numbered plates can drive on odd-numbered days, and even-numbered plates on even-numbered days. Based on this principle, starting at 5:30 a.m. on the 17th, only vehicles with odd-numbered license plates, as well as motorcycles, will be allowed on the roads in Paris and the 22 surrounding towns. Violators will face fines ranging from €22 to €90. However, electric vehicles, hybrids, and professional vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks, postal vans, and taxis are exempt from the restrictions. The Prime Minister’s office will decide on the morning of the 17th whether to continue the odd-even restrictions on the 18th based on pollution levels. Additionally, the announcement makes an exception for private cars carrying three or more passengers, allowing them to drive regardless of plate number, in order to encourage carpooling. The statement also decided that the free public transportation policy, which has been in place for three days in the Paris region, will continue on the 17th, with all rapid transit, metro, and bus services available to the public free of charge.
Over the past week, Paris has been under smog almost daily, with the Eiffel Tower appearing hazy and the landmarks along the Seine River veiled in a light mist. Looking down at Paris from the Montparnasse Tower, it seems engulfed in chaos, with the sunlight refracting to paint the city pink. The Sacré-Cœur Basilica on Montmartre, usually visible from many parts of Paris, is nowhere to be seen. Since March, Paris and its surrounding areas have experienced little wind and rain, with daytime temperatures rising rapidly. Data released by Airparif, the air quality monitoring association for the Paris region, shows that since the 11th, due to excessive levels of inhalable particulate matter PM10 in the air, the Paris region has exceeded warning thresholds for five consecutive days, reaching a record peak on the 14th—higher even than Beijing. Over the past week, most areas in northern France have exceeded level 9, triggering red alerts.
An article in the weekly magazine Le Nouvel Observateur on the 14th further analyzed the composition of pollution sources, stating that in the Paris area, dense traffic is the main cause, especially as France and the EU have supported diesel vehicles for reasons such as energy prices, leading to a significant increase in diesel car numbers, whose pollution far exceeds that of gasoline vehicles. An article in Le Monde on the 14th stated that although Paris’s air pollution index is approaching or even exceeding that of Chinese cities, there are still major differences: first, the PM2.5 fine particle index in Beijing and Shanghai is much higher than in Paris, and it is these particles that can penetrate people’s respiratory systems. Second, pollution in Paris is mainly from traffic, while in Beijing and many parts of China, there are other dangerous factors such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, because pollution in China largely comes from industrial production and the use of coal energy, such as thermal power plants. Therefore, the level of danger is not comparable. But even so, French authorities must take this situation seriously and adopt effective countermeasures.
After releasing the announcement, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that although he knows the odd-even restriction measures will bring various difficulties, he believes this measure is “necessary” to alleviate air pollution in Paris. This is the second time since 1997 that France has implemented odd-even vehicle restrictions. Bernard Jomier, president of Airparif, told Le Parisien that odd-even restrictions are an effective policy for reducing air pollution. In sparsely populated areas outside Paris, wood heating in households also constitutes a significant pollution source. In addition, chemical products and fertilizers used in agriculture, as well as livestock emissions and their chemical reactions with the atmosphere, also become sources of pollution.
However, the odd-even restriction policy has also sparked significant controversy in France. Chasselay, head of the French “40 Million Drivers” association, told the media that he was “shocked” that a small group of lobbying organizations had convinced people that cars are the main culprits of pollution. He believes the odd-even restriction approach is “unfair” and “foolish.”
Regarding this new policy, the Global Times specifically interviewed several French citizens. A teacher named Legoff told our reporter, “We didn’t expect Paris to have such serious pollution like Beijing and other cities. What was the point of the vehicle restriction policies in previous years? Are there other pollution causes we don’t know about? I used to love walking and jogging on the streets of Paris, but now I can only stay indoors. I hope the authorities further restrict private car traffic to give us back a clean Paris.” But a young engineer named Emmanuel is not concerned about the pollution, believing it is just an occasional phenomenon caused by a combination of factors. He said Paris has never lacked blue skies and white clouds, and a bit of pollution occasionally is no big deal. “You can see for yourself, the street cafes are still packed, what’s the big deal?”