This is what the EU is all about, rubbish legislation to appease the 'greens' whilst ordinary John Smith folks fork out for ludicrous rules invented by bureaucrats.

Diesel cars with particulate filter removed will now fail their MOT | Mail Online

Is it just the same in the US?

 

Same in California USA and in NY USA.
You just can't remove pollution control parts to your liking.

The CAT actually really cleaned up the air in Los Angeles.

London has a pollution problem too.
So, sorry to say I agree with the MOT.

 

I have to chime in here.
Vehicle pollution controls are absolutely necessary especially in dense traffic conditions. The public health of inhabitatants/population must be a priority and not the ability to thumb your nose at pollution controls and the responsibilty to follow regulations.

First we have had lead in fuel which stunted childrens mental development. This was banned for good reason in many countries.

Then of course the Clean Air and computerization of cars. The air quality was for those in cities appalling. Of course the car buying/using public protested but today we accept these measures as a matter of living in the 21st century.

Now of course in this decade the diesel engine is under attack to reduce pollution it causes which in some cases can be as poisionous as arsnic.
The nano particles emitted by modern diesel engines embed themselves in lung tissue of humans and reports now coming out of cancers and tumours all related to pollution and respitory ailments. My daughter is a medical doctor in Houston and dissection of cadavers' lungs show the same conditions.
So in short governments have a responsibility to protect their citizenry simply because the human health costs can sky rocket draining coffers drastically and raising taxes unnecessarily.

In any case the internal combustion engine's days are limited as fuel cell cars and super electric hybrids are just over the horizon. It will signal the end gradually of this polluting madness.
Via Con Dios
T/V

 

I've traveled extensively in countries with little to no emissions regulations, and after experiencing that I'll never question the need for them again. We've gotten so used to emissions regulated air quality that we don't realize how nasty the air gets without these measures in place. I was in the South Pacific last year and the exhaust in most countries was so noxious I had constant headaches and would randomly get nauseated and dizzy.

 

I personally don't like smog and pollution in the air. I mean some might love having potential cancer causing crap in their lungs but I don't. I say we force China to crack down on emissions....

 

Or force Japan to stop the radiation thats flowing into the Pacific ocean from there damn nuke plant.... Talk about cancer people.

 

I will second that.
It doesn't need to be a 3rd world country
I took my family to the UK about 8 years ago and had to go to London of course.
The UK is full of small cars with little Piz pot diesel engines in them, all bunging out measurable levels of soot.
That combined with the diesel public transport emissions means that "the fug" is inhaled and kids have black snot running out of their noses after a few hours of walking about sight seeing.

Its not that I blame the public there, their Gov is responsible adding huge amounts of tax on petrol (gasolina) which made people gravitate to economical running diesel powered cars--but with no emission controls to talk about until recently. Fortunately new EEC E directives will re-balance the equation but at what cost in (NHS) national health delivery costs to the UK public purse!

Going back to 3rd world or developing countries some tackle the problem from a different perspective.
CA Metro de Caracas was instituted in the late 1980's to simply get people out of cars and the pollution inside the city. Carrying 1.3 to 1.7 million passengers a day the service removed a huge number of vehicles from city streets.
I worked for CAM in Caracas for eight years a very progressive organization.

Santiago the capital of Chile has similar policies to reduce pollution and it has yet to reach the clean air of Denver at a similar 5280 ft, but it is getting there with a good but limited subway system. Again the Chileans see the benefits of less acid rain in their rivers where commercial salmon is farmed (ver fundacion Chile) AND holes on the ozone layers around Punta Arenas/Patagonia where the kids have to wear heavy tint sunglasses to avoid eye cataracts.

The gold "escudo" has to go the Costa Rica a country with a very stringent emissions regulations. To their credit they even use their volcanoes to provide Geo thermal energy for mass electricity production. The Tico population benefit by having cheap electric supply tariffs

The more industrialized countries could do well to copy the lead of tiny Costa Rica .

T/V

 

Yes this is very serious and a total news black out on the whole problem worldwide makes it worse.

I spoke to someone recently who had sailed a private vessel from from Japan to Canada. The sea he reported was total devoid of life. Nothing flew nor did he see any fish swim under his sailing boat throughout the voyage! A dead sea!
Very worrisome--thanks for raising this issue it is also connected to red tide toxic formations (Marea Roja) seen in the Southern Pacific.
T/V

 

Depends on the state. Some don't have inspections (safety or emissions) while others are very strict. Most of the the newer diesel cars/trucks use DEF (diesel exhaust fluid), some use the particulate filter. Look at the cost of a DPF cleaner!!
OTC 5280 Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Cleaner