WELL, I LIKE THAT BETTER THAN OUR ELECTION NARRATIVES: Diesel Is Driving Election Narratives in Germany.

There’s an election campaign underway in Germany right now, and one of the biggest issues the candidates are wrangling with has to do with something as seemingly mundane as a transportation fuel. Diesel cars, foundational to the German car industry, are no longer the eco-darling they once were, and earlier this week Angela Merkel, who is running for a fourth term, conceded for the first time that Germany will need to move towards banning diesel cars in the near future. That has set off a political furor in the country.

It’s hard to believe that diesel was once considered the greener fuel option, but 20 years ago countries across Europe—Germany included—began to push carmakers to increase sales of diesel vehicles over their gasoline-powered variants. Because they generally get higher mileage, diesel cars were perceived to be the greenest option, and were seized upon in a part of the world where the budding market for environmentally conscious consumers was most fertile. Unfortunately, diesel has a drawback: its tailpipe emissions include far more local air pollutants, and many of Europe’s major cities are battling a surge in smog as a result of the continent’s switch to diesel vehicles.

The diesel problem is especially notable in Germany, which was ground zero for the emissions test cheating scandal that rocked Volkswagen back in 2015 (and a number of other German car manufacturers since then).

It seems likely that government officials knew about this cheating, and turned a blind eye for competitive reasons.