"Grey Paree"

Right now, people in Paris may be rubbing their eyes as they look at the Eiffel Tower.  But it wouldn’t be because of anything about the Tower.  It’s because of the air.

©Christonphe ENA/AP

It looks as if Paris, and several other French cities, are going through what I experienced growing up in Los Angeles in the 1950s.  An inversion layer of air seems to be trapping automobile emissions and creating a familiar brownish haze across the city.

As a quick, short-term measure to get people out of their cars, government officials have made all forms of public transport free over this weekend.  Philippe Martin, the Minister of Ecology, estimates the cost at 3 million euros a day, a cost that he says will be shared by all levels of government and the private sector.

How did the City of Light end up with smog?  Commentators point towards cars generally, diesel-powered cars in particular, and agriculture (although it’s not clear exactly this last factor relates to the air pollution in Paris and the other cities).  Apparently, despite successful bike sharing programs and new tram lines in several cities, too little has been done to reduce the use of cars.  Drivers are considered a powerful political force by both the left and right and policy makers are loath to propose anything that would restrict what they consider is a right to free movement on all roads.

In addition, France is distinct in the incentives it provides to auto makers to encourage producing cars with diesel engines.  These cars now make up sixty percent of private cars in the country.  The fuel may cost less, but they are more polluting than normal gas engines, emitting large quantities of fine particulate matter.

Is this a wake up call for the government?  It wouldn’t appear to be.  Ecology Minister Martin talks about gathering other ministries and auto makers to talk about “the evolution of their production.”  But god forbid there should be any talk of reducing diesel’s fiscal benefits.  “That won’t be the issue,” said Martin.