Parisians are bracing for a new law that would require them to retire their classic cars, beaters and all vehicles made before 1997. Mayor Bertrand Delanoë has proposed the legislation in an effort to comply with European emissions regulations by 2014.

Classic-car enthusiasts are distressed at the thought of their Peugeots, Citroëns and Renaults being garaged. “For me, the [Citroën] 2CV is part of French heritage, of Parisian heritage,” Xavier Audran, owner of multiple Citroëns, told The New York Times. “I wouldn’t be able to leave my home with my vehicles.”

Others are concerned about the cost of upgrading, and they say less affluent suburbanites would be hit hardest by the ban, which would affect 367,000 vehicles.

The mayor's proposal, which would require approval by the French government and the Parisian police department next year, does address the cost factor. Subsidies to help car owners get rid of old cars would come in the form of free subscriptions to the city's electric-car rental system or rebates for those trading in old vehicles for newer, more fuel-efficient ones.

Paris wouldn't be the first to enact such a ban. Calcutta, India, outlawed older vehicles in 2008, and since 1990, drivers in Singapore have been required by law to scrap or export their cars after 10 years of ownership. Two years ago, Berlin began prohibiting diesel vehicles that don't meet the standards passed in 2005.

But other cities have taken different approaches to the problem of emissions-related pollution. In 2003, London began charging drivers who failed to comply with emissions standards a daily fee, and it upped the ante in 2008 by instituting a so-called low-emission zone for heavy diesel vehicles. A 2012 study by researchers at the University of Sydney showed the system to be effective in curtailing car emissions, but still not necessarily a success with commercial vehicles.

Several Latin American cities, including Mexico City; Bogota, Colombia; and São Paolo, Brazil, have attempted to cut emissions by restricting drivers from using their cars one workday each week. But Parisians won't want to emulate that tactic, according to researchers who conducted a study at the University of Michigan. "There is no evidence of an absolute improvement in air quality during any period of the week for any pollutant," they concluded.

[Sources: The New York Times, Fox News]