Polluting vehicles don’t just disappear—so where do they go? At NYC Climate Week, the Clean Mobility Collective (CMC) brought this question to life in a lively panel focused on one of global transport’s trickiest challenges: retiring polluting vehicles, especially aging heavy-duty trucks, while transitioning toward zero emissions. The event, “Where do all the polluters go? A conversation about how we equitably retire, reuse, and upcycle polluting vehicles”, filled Civic Hall in New York on September 24th, with a room buzzing with energy, curiosity, and conversation.

The challenge is particularly urgent in Latin America, where aging heavy-duty vehicles dominate the roads, mostly imported from the Global North. In Bogotá, for example, 76% of registered freight vehicles are over 30 years old. But the problem isn’t limited to Latin America: globally, nearly a quarter of people live in countries where more than half of vehicles are imported used cars. These outdated, poorly maintained vehicles pose serious risks to public health and the environment.

A keynote on global flows of polluting vehicles

Francisco Parés Olguín (Global South Center for Clean Transportation, US) opened the event by mapping the global used vehicle trade. In Ensenada, Mexico, 90% of used vehicle imports come from the United States. Across Latin America, most fleets are composed of U.S. exports, with additional flows to Nigeria, the UAE, and Georgia. This trade is driven by high turnover in the Global North, where strict vehicle regulations push older models off the road, and by rising incomes in emerging economies that create demand for affordable transportation.

While these vehicles meet real mobility needs, Francisco warned, they also transfer pollution and safety risks to low- and middle-income countries. “The secondhand vehicle market is a billion-dollar market. As used EVs and batteries enter the market, there’s an opportunity to connect with importing countries, build reuse and recycling capacity in LMICs, and strengthen regional supply chains,” he said.

Voices from the panel

Guided with charisma by moderator Michelle Piñon (CMC), the panel underscored that tackling aging vehicle fleets is not just a technical challenge—it’s a matter of equity, climate justice, and public health.

Fernando Marquez Duarte (People’s Collective for Environmental Justice, US) described how polluting trucks retired from California often end up in Mexico. “There’s a huge market for used trucks, and we get the worst. The impacts are real—air and water pollution know no borders,” he said, noting the health toll on communities, from asthma to cardiovascular disease.

Guillermo Ortiz (NRDC, US) placed the issue in a global frame: between 2015 and 2020, more than 2 million light-duty vehicles moved to Latin America. “Used vehicles don’t disappear when they retire from fleets. Where they move is critical. Retirement needs to be technically sound, but also ethically sound.” He emphasized that retirement policies must prioritize communities most impacted by freight and fleet operations, so pollution and health harms aren’t passed on.

Lina Torres (Movilizatorio, Colombia) emphasized that aging vehicle fleets are a matter of inequity, affecting the most vulnerable communities hardest, including independent drivers who operate the oldest vehicles. In Mexico and Colombia, the average vehicle is more than 20 years old. “The question is how do we not become the dumpster of the world, and how do we deal with these challenges,” she said. Lina called for raising public awareness and supporting grassroots organizers to push back against auto industry lobbying and keep the issue on the political agenda.

Beyond technology

Panelists also reflected on the complexity of electrification. While zero-emission trucks are essential, they come with new challenges—from lithium mining to questions about how clean the electricity powering them really is. “The solution is not only electrifying—we need a just transition that includes affordable, collective, clean public transportation,” Fernando noted. Panelists emphasized that frontline communities, including truck drivers, must be central to shaping that transition.

Moving forward

The event underscored that vehicles retired in California or Europe don’t vanish—they reappear in Mexico, Colombia, Nigeria, and beyond, perpetuating inequities in air quality and health. Polluting vehicles linger in our communities, and addressing this requires political will and cross-border solidarity: building reuse and recycling capacity, strengthening regional supply chains, designing retirement programs that don’t simply shift harm, and investing in clean, collective transport systems.

Moving forward means replacing these vehicles with solutions that put environmental justice, public health, and community well-being at the center of transportation systems.