The Paris administration on Thursday said it would get rid off all petrol and diesel cars from the city by 2030, Reuters reported. Paris City Hall, which houses the city’s local administration, said that this decision was in line with France’s plan to ban fuel cars across the country by 2040.

“This is about planning for the long term with a strategy that will reduce greenhouse gases,” said Christophe Najdovski, an official responsible for Paris’ transport policy, at the office of Mayor Anne Hidalgo. “Transport is one of the main greenhouse gas producers, so we are planning an exit from combustion engine vehicles, or fossil-energy vehicles, by 2030,” he told France Info Radio.

The Paris City Hall said it had decided not to use the term “ban” to describe the proposed phase-out of petrol and diesel cars, after criticism over no-car zones, car-free days and fines for drivers entering the city in cars that are more than 20 years old.

France’s Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot had said on July 7 that France would stop using coal to produce electricity by 2022, and that up to €4 billion (around Rs 30,000 crore) of investments will help boost energy efficiency.

The French government plans on offering incentives for this programme, such as providing low-income households with a premium to exchange their petrol or diesel vehicles for cleaner alternatives.