20年前，歐洲人原本都是開汽油車，市佔率超過90%以上，但後來柴油車卻越來越多。
近20年來，柴油車在歐洲崛起盛行，造成嚴重的NOx空氣污染，連帶使得歐洲每年
都有非常多人死於NOx污染造成的疾病。
英國政府的研究顯示，英國每年有23,500人死於NOx空氣污染*。
法國環境部長賀雅爾女士在接受國會議員質詢時，也坦承法國每年有2~4萬人死於NOx
空氣污染**。
(註*: 英國政府研究數據
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) estimated that
the effects of NO2 on mortality are equivalent to 23,500 deaths annually
in the UK.
https://is.gd/pdDPGN )
(註**: 法國紀錄片: 窒息的城市
Unbreathable: Cities on the Verge of Asphyxiation
https://is.gd/lkA0Qy )
(圖) 英國倫敦的天空一片朦朧，肇因是NOx氮氧化物空氣污染嚴重。
http://i.imgur.com/B109pqt.jpg
(圖) 2000~2014年，英國柴油車、汽油車銷售量走勢圖，含新能源車(電動車、氫能車)
http://i.imgur.com/IKyQVjG.jpg (數量單位是百萬輛)
以下是柴油車在歐洲是崛起的過程及幕後原因。
[英國衛報] 柴油車在歐洲的崛起: 對民眾健康與空氣污染所造成的衝擊
The rise of diesel in Europe: the impact on health and pollution
https://is.gd/axn91a
歐盟推行柴油車，表面上是為了節能減碳，但事實上是德國車廠在幕後遊說運作，
歐盟才會推行柴油車的，那些車廠才是柴油車貽害歐洲民眾健康的始作俑者，
因為當時日本車廠押寶油電車，柴油車政策有利於德國車廠的市佔率。
◇德國車廠遊說歐盟，錯誤政策貽害台灣
直到1990年代中期以前，歐洲的柴油車原本只是少數，市佔率低於10%，
僅限於某些利基市場需求。
Diesel was a niche market in Europe until the mid-1990s, making up less than
10% of the car fleet.
但在1997年，有許多國家簽署「京都議定書」，大部份的富裕國家必須在15年內減碳8%
。
Following the signing of the Kyoto protocol climate change agreement in 1997
, most rich countries were legally obliged to reduce CO2 emissions by an
average of 8% over 15 years.
當初1997年，就是因為德國福斯、賓士、BMW積極遊說，歐盟才會鼓勵使用柴油的。
德國汽車業者當時聲稱，柴油是便宜又快速的減碳妙招。
在1997年，當時為了因應京都議定書，日本和美國車廠選擇押寶研發油電車和電動車，
因此德國車廠就去推動柴油車政策。
(評: 車廠不顧民眾健康，種下空污惡果。)
Japanese and American car makers backed research into hybrid and electric
cars, but the European commission was lobbied strongly by big German car makers
BMW, Volkswagen and Daimler, to incentivise diesel. A switch to diesel was said
by the industry to be a cheap and fast way to reduce the carbon emissions that
drive climate change.
◇政府補貼，柴油車成歐洲主流
之後在1998年，在歐盟執委會交通運輸委員Neil Kinnock的力挺之下，
所有歐洲車廠都簽署「EC 1998歐洲汽車協會協議書」(EC 1998 ACEA agreement)，
各大車廠必須在10年內減少碳排放量多達「25%」。
倫敦空氣品質協會(Clean Air London)總監Simon Birkett指出，
「這份協議簡直就是叫歐洲車廠全都改用柴油引擎，歐洲車從原本幾乎都是汽油車，
轉變成大部份都是柴油車了。
英國、德國、法國和義大利政府都有提供政策獎勵和補助，鼓勵民眾購買柴油車。」
於是眾家歐洲車廠也跟著增加柴油引擎的產量。
The subsequent EC 1998 Acea agreement with all European car makers was backed
by then EU transport commissioner Neil Kinnock and UK environment secretary
John Prescott. It committed passenger car-makers to reduce CO2 emissions by 25%
over 10 years.
"It was practically an order to switch to diesel. The European car fleet was
transformed from being almost entirely petrol to predominantly diesel.
Britain, along with Germany, France and Italy, offered subsidies and sweeteners
to persuade car makers and the public to buy diesel," said Simon Birkett,
director of the Clean Air London group.
The European auto industry ramped up diesel engine production
在歐盟的壓力下，歐洲各國政府一直去壓低柴油價格，讓柴油比汽油便宜。
在英國，汽車稅金的高低和CO2排放量有關，成功地鼓勵民眾購買柴油車。
Under EU pressure, governments kept the diesel price below that of petrol.
In the UK, the amount motorists paid in vehicle excise duty was linked to
cars' CO2 emissions, effectively incentivising people to buy diesels.
但是在「降低CO2排放量」和「民眾健康問題」兩者之間的取捨，
當年英國卻沒有針對這項議題去進行廣泛討論。
But the trade-off between reducing climate emissions and increasing health
problems was not widely debated, say civil servants and politicians.
◇排氣測試規範太過寬鬆 車廠能輕易造假
英國倫敦大學國王學院教授，也是前英國政府「空氣品質科學(顧問)小組」的大頭目
Martin Williams說：
「當時柴油車看起來是個好東西，因為它CO2排放量較低，所以我們獎勵民眾去買柴油車
」
「車輛廢氣排放的測試程序根本不夠嚴格，
這些測試程序是聯合國的「車輛監管規範協調世界論壇」所設計出來的(World Forum for
Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations)，而這個論壇卻是由汽車產業人士來主導。」
「更有甚者，某些汽車業者也很容易透過校準汽車電腦，讓它能夠辨認出排放測試程序
，並在測試時刻意降低污染排放量。」
"Diesel was seen as a good thing because it produces less CO2, so we gave
people incentives to buy diesel cars,” said Martin Williams, professor of
air quality research at King’s College London since 2010, and former head
of the government's air quality science unit.
"The [emission] tests were simply not stringent enough. They were devised by
a UN committee based in Geneva called the World Forum for Harmonisation of
Vehicle Regulations, which was dominated by people from the car industry.
"What's more, it was easy for some manufacturers to calibrate cars' computers
to spot when the car was being tested and reduce emissions until the test was
over,"
延伸閱讀
[英國衛報] 柴油廢氣會害人過早死亡，尤其是對「兒童健康」的傷害更大
Diesel engine pollution linked to early deaths and costs NHS billions
http://is.gd/185CcK
[台灣文獻] 柴油廢氣中的氮氧化物NOx，會形成「細懸浮微粒」PM2.5
http://shuchuan7.blogspot.tw/2015/10/blog-post_13.html
[情報] 丹麥研究: 柴油廢氣讓公鼠體內精子數量減少，可能跟不孕症有關
https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/car/M.1465384291.A.14B.html