This week, a top court in Germany issued a ruling that allowed cities to ban the use of diesel cars. Wait, ban an entire category of cars? What exactly did the ruling mean? Well, take Stuttgart, for example. It’s one of the most polluted cities in Germany, so Deutsche Umwelthilfe, a non-profit environmental organization, won a court ruling stating that diesel bans in Stuttgart were a clear step in curbing vehicle-related pollution. According to a recent study across six nations, diesel cars are more likely to produce nitrous oxides that create smog. 

This ruling could set a precedent for other cities in Germany and perhaps even around the world! Car companies are unhappy, of course, because their sales of diesel cars might decline. There are currently around twelve million diesel cars in Germany.

Would a ban be effective in this situation? Can you think of other solutions for cleaning up the environment?