The UK and France have banned the sale of gas and diesel powered cars by 2040, but it is too little, too late.

Last month the French Government announced a ban on Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) powered cars by 2040. Recently the British government followed suit.

2040 is a long way away, but a UK government spokesperson said “poor air quality is the biggest environmental risk to public health in the UK and this government is determined to take strong action in the shortest time possible.” According to the Guardian, it’s estimated that “outdoor pollution, much of it from vehicles, causes 40,000 deaths a year in the UK.” But that number is disputed, even by organizations such as Greenpeace who note:

This is an important distinction. These French and British moves are encouraging, as is the wildly enthusiastic reception to the launch of the Tesla Model 3. But does a ban on ICE powered cars really make that much of a difference? Does it go far enough, fast enough? Is the pollution from cars their biggest problem?

© World Bank/ Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

As Greenpeace noted, you can count the people who are injured and killed in car crashes, and it’s big, bigger than the number of deaths and DALYs (Disability-adjusted life years) directly attributed to pollution. Getting rid of ICE powered cars doesn’t change that.

Caroline Lucas/via

Also writing in the Guardian, Green Party co-chair Caroline Lucas notes that the problems with cars go beyond fuel.

Lloyd Alter/ Vienna car-free streets/CC BY 2.0

She’s right. If we really want to save lives, we not only have to clean up our air, but we have to get people out of their cars, irrespective of their fuel. Look at the ways a daily walk can change your mind and body. Look at the health benefits linked to public transportation. Look at how a British study finds commuting by bike can cut heart disease and cancer. Any of these modes of transport are healthier and cheaper than any kind of car.

So let’s not just ban gas and diesel; a more ambitious goal for 2040 would be to get people out of their cars by making the alternatives much more attractive. Concentrate on making cities and towns where people don’t even think they need or want a car. At the same time, have a fuel or other car tax that actually covers the cost of the vast infrastructure of roads, bridges, enforcement, and medical care attributed to cars. Now that would be meaningful.