Polluting vehicles have caused 16,000 premature deaths in the UK alone in just 15 years

Almost 10 years after the original Dieselgate scandal, a new report paints the most comprehensive picture yet of the alarming health and economic impacts of illegally high emissions likely linked to the use of prohibited defeat devices.

Dieselgate: the scandal hasn’t ended as surging air pollution-linked deaths show

Published by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and commissioned by environmental law organisation ClientEarth, the report looks at suspiciously high nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions that are well above the legal limits. It evaluates the impacts of such emissions on public health and the economy across the UK and EU.

The International Council on Clean Transportation, the organisation that broke the original Dieselgate scandal, collated remote sensing data for the report. The emissions covered are from a wide range of manufacturers from across the auto-industry.

In the UK, between 2009 and 2024, it found these excess emissions have caused an estimated:

• 16,000 premature deaths
• 30,000 new cases of asthma in children
• 1,600 years lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• 800,000 days of sick leave

The associated economic burden of these health impacts equals £96bn. If no measures are taken to remove prohibited defeat devices, the report estimates an additional 6,000 premature deaths and £36bn in economic impacts, between 2025 and 2040.

In the EU and UK as a whole, the report estimates that the excess emissions have caused 124,000 premature deaths between 2009 and 2024.

Dr Jamie Kelly of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and lead author of the study said:

Our calculations reveal the widespread and devastating health impacts of excessive diesel emissions – thousands of lives cut short, countless children developing asthma, and an immense burden of chronic illness. This is a crisis with a long and lingering legacy. Without action, these impacts will stretch far into the future, affecting generations to come. It’s not too late to act. Governments have an opportunity – and a responsibility – to break this cycle.

Jemima Hartshorn of Mums for Lungs said:

The evidence is crystal clear: diesel emissions are sky high and it’s killed people. Millions of diesel cars on our roads are still emitting toxically high levels of pollution and it’s costing our health, especially the health of our children. The US government took action for the damage caused by the original Dieselgate scandal. We hope our government will finally do the same to clean up the ongoing legacy across the industry. To protect little lungs, auto manufacturers have to take responsibility for the dirty vehicles they have dumped on our communities.

Still and industry-wide problem a decade on

On Monday, a German court convicted four former Volkswagen managers of fraud. It gave two of them prison sentences for their part in the Dieselgate scandal, which was first exposed in 2015.

Since the start of the scandal, a wealth of evidence has emerged indicating that the use of defeat device technology is an industry-wide problem. Despite this, authorities in the EU and UK have done little to address the problem. They have not required manufacturers to provide effective solutions. Instead, individual consumers have been left to fight for financial compensation from manufacturers through the courts. In short, these excessively polluting vehicles remain on our roads.

Under UK law, the government must actively investigate the issue. It obligates the government to force manufacturers to act where the use of illegal defeat devices is found. The rules are clear that vehicle owners should not be left to pay for the costs of any recalls.

In documents seen by ClientEarth, the Department for Transport has confirmed it is investigating some 47 different car models under 20 brands by 11 manufacturers. Moreover, it anticipates that these numbers will increase. But the process has been too slow and UK laws inadequate to deal with the problem.

ClientEarth lawyer Emily Kearsey said:

Auto manufacturers have been trying to sweep the Dieselgate scandal under the carpet for too long. This government has the opportunity to finally stand up for consumers and people’s health and hold polluters accountable. If any recalls take place, the law makes it clear that it’s up to manufacturers to foot the bill.

In 2023, ClientEarth and national NGOs sent legal complaints to the French, German, and UK governments over their failure to tackle the epidemic of illegal defeat devices.

Featured image via the Canary