Era of leaded petrol finally over globally: UN

Algeria service station stopped their production over providing leaded petrol in July, and the use of leaded petrol ended globally. From the year 1992, the use of tetraethyl leads as a petrol additive to progress engine productivity and functioning has been a catastrophe for the environment and public health. By the 1970s, almost all petrol produced around the world contained lead along with the substances.

Began a campaign to reduce or cut the usage of petrol the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2004, it was one of the most serious environmental threats to human health.

On Monday, the use of leaded petrol has been eradicated from the globe, a milestone that will prevent more than 1.8 million premature deaths and save world economies over US$2.9 trillion annually.

Even as recently as two decades ago, more than 100 countries around the world were still using leaded petrol, despite studies linking it to premature deaths, poor health, and soil and air pollution.

It clearly shows that if we can phase out one of the most dangerous polluting fuels in the 20th century, we can absolutely phase out all fossil fuels,” climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace Africa.

Globally, vehicle sales are set to climb exponentially, particularly in emerging markets. “The actual responsibility is done by the transport sector for nearly a quarter of energy-related global greenhouse gas emissions and is set to grow to one-third by 2050,” UNEP added.

“This includes millions of poor-quality used vehicles exported from Europe, the United States, and Japan, to mid- and low-income countries, adding that 1.2 billion new vehicles would hit the streets in the coming decades.

“This contributes to planet warming and air polluting traffic and (is) bound to cause accidents,” the global body said.

Earlier this month, by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that Earth’s average temperature would be 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.8 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer around 2032 as compared to pre-industrial times.