TEHRAN — Year 2015 is a turning point for Tehran as it is moving toward a fossil fuel-free city, the deputy mayor for Traffic and Transportation Department has said, Mehr reported on Saturday.

Electric motorcycles which have recently been given license plates, hybrid taxis and buses, and new generation of the electric buses are of the examples which are gradually replacing the old vehicles powered by fossil fuels, Jafar Hashemi Tashakkori said.

“The newly launched subway line namely line 3 which transports over three million passengers daily plays an important role in turning Tehran into a fossil fuel-free city,” he said, adding that “lines 6 and 7 which are under construction at the moment will speed this process as well.”

Air pollution and different kinds of pollutants, especially dusts, threaten Tehran and its citizens so replacing fossil fuels with renewable energies seems appealing to solve this very problem, he noted.

“Using renewable energies instead of conventional fuels is the key to prevent the climate change and global warming and save the earth from any further damage both for the present generation and the generations to come,” Hashmi Tashakkori highlighted.

“These are the first steps toward a city free from pollutants and we have a long way ahead of us for this dream come true,” he reiterated.

MQ/PA