Used car exports drive pollution to developing world: UN study

Old cars that end up in developing countries are worsening air pollution. Photo: AFP

Getting rid of old cars is helping clean the skies over developed nations, but many clunkers are ending up in developing countries where they add significantly to air pollution, a United Nations report warns.

The European Union, Japan and the United States exported around three million used vehicles each year between 2015 and 2018, with most going to low- and middle-income countries and more than half ending up in Africa, according to a report released recently by the UN Environment Programme.