The list ranks local authorities’ efforts to reduce road traffic pollution and improve air quality.

At the bottom of the list came Luxembourg.

The organisations assessed various criteria including transports, encouragement of bike use, renewal of public transport fleets with the inclusion of clean vehicles, urban tolls and parking prices.

Quercus said that the Reduced Emission Zones introduced in Lisbon in 2011 that are off limits to older, more polluting vehicles were “not very ambitious compared with other European cities” and lacked adequate supervision.

At the top of the list came Zurich (Switzerland) with “excellent performance” due to a series of measures that included “strong commitment to reduce transport pollution, promotion of collective transport and encouraging people to walk or cycle”. TPN/Lusa