Improving Air Quality for Peruvian Cities and Citizens

National Scrapping and Vehicle Fleet Renewal Program

Breathing clean air and having a clinical history free of respiratory diseases are luxuries that millions of Peruvians cannot afford-due to the high-level air pollution in the country. Worldwide, ​​in terms of air pollution Peru is ranked on rank 21^st ,  (28 PM2.5 μg / m³), according to the 2018 World Air Quality report. This is closely related to the transport sector, which in turn represents 10% of total GHG emissions in Peru (MINAM, 2012).

In recent years, there has been an exponential growth of the vehicle fleet, which does not seem to be slowing down. This situation has brought on higher fuel consumption levels and, therefore, higher atmospheric emissions of contaminants such as methane, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, etc.  Furthermore, daily commute distances have increased so much, that the frequency of vehicle-use has also increased. Sadly, greater usage of vehicles has seldom been accompanied by adequate maintenance.

The problem gets worse due to lack of mechanisms to modernize the vehicle fleet. National statistics estimate that 24% of heavy-duty vehicles in circulation are 20 or more years old. Vehicles of this age produce high concentrations of Short-lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs), harmful to human health. However, so far there is no legal framework to regulate their withdrawal from public use.

Recognizing the importance of this issue, the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) has been working on the implementation of national programs for the modernization of the vehicle fleet. In this sense, progress has been made through the development of the “End of life vehicles regulation” which will create the legal framework for vehicle scrapping and for a National Scrapping and Vehicle Fleet Renewal Program. This Program will aim, in its first phase, to scrapping vehicles offering economic incentives for their owners.

This program is set to function from 2021 until 2030 under the scope of one of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) in the transport sector. Its implementation will be the responsibility of the local governments under the supervision and management of the MTC. It is important to mention that this measure will be applied jointly with vehicle energy efficiency schemes in order to reduce the demand for fuel in the sector.

This is one of several mitigation measures in which the Ministry of Transport has been working on, in coordination with the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Environment, to reduce the negative impact of air pollution on health and on the environment.

The TRANSfer project is supporting the design of the TRANSPeru NAMA to mitigate urban transport emissions in Peru. It is implemented by GIZ and funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU)