Diesel engine emissions are just the tip of the iceberg – refrigerated vehicles release over a hundred times more pollutants in Europe every day

The entire world relies heavily on cold temperatures. The meals we eat, the structures we inhabit, the data all of us consume and the medicines which keep us healthy almost all need cooling. Getting meals from the farm to our dishes depends on a seamless system of refrigerated processing, storage space and transport to ensure this arrives in good condition and does not go to waste.

The air conditioning in the vehicles that transportation produce from A to W is often powered by a good unregulated secondary diesel motor, which is inefficient and wrecking. A million refrigerated vehicles operate on European streets every day -- delivering perishable goods in order to restaurants, supermarkets, warehouses, houses and hospitals.

Our numerous found that these secondary motors for refrigerated vehicles may emit up to 29 occasions more potentially carcinogenic particulate matter and six periods more nitrogen oxides compared to far larger, modern diesel powered truck engines. They also launch 165 times as much particulate matter and 93 instances as much nitrogen oxides since the latest diesel cars. Consequently, one million refrigeration units produce an environmental and wellness impact that's equivalent to 56 million diesel cars.

That is pretty shocking, but it can by no means the end of the tale. In the UK, these secondary machines are even allowed to run on extremely subsidised ‘red’ diesel, which means taxpayers’ money is being utilized to support the polluters, and stop clean cold technologies through gaining a foothold.

The actual impacts of this kind of pollution are felt right throughout Europe. In the EU, that contributes to more than 400, 000 premature deaths each year, as well as chronic ill-health for many much more. This imposes a heavy interpersonal cost on every European country. Our research suggests that this season, the social cost of air pollution from transport refrigeration by yourself could be as high as €2bn (£1. 5bn).

Although there are around a million refrigerated vehicles in the EUROPEAN UNION, until now these hidden polluters have gone mostly unnoticed. Their own cost to society never been assessed - neither addressed through effective rules. Surely that has to change?

Since the European Commission begins to make its Heating and Cooling Strategy, we now have a precious opportunity to cleanup transport refrigeration. The good news is that even though refrigerated vehicles are largely disproportionate polluters, transport a fridge can be made lower co2 and zero-emission while at the same time reducing costs. New absolutely no emission technology is quickly becoming available, it is effective and relatively low cost. Actually it could even deliver long-term savings.

Zero-emission transport a fridge is a rare case of the genuine triple win : for the environment, our health and also the economy. But the time to take action is now.

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