The liquid substance AdBlue helps to significantly reduce pollutants emitted during the combustion of diesel. If AdBlue is added to diesel while driving, trucks can drive where they are actually not allowed to drive due to the high exhaust emission values. AdBlue thus makes it possible to drive in environmental zones. This could now be the end. It would have immense consequences for the population and the environment.

The pollutant-reducing liquid AdBlue is becoming scarce because large quantities of ammonia are needed for its production. But the production of ammonia in turn requires large quantities of gas, gas that has increased enormously in price due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As a result, factories in Poland, Croatia, Portugal, France and Italy have already reduced their production, as operating at 100 per cent is no longer profitable due to the high price of gas. The price of AdBlue has also quadrupled so far. In addition, the price of diesel for a truck has also risen.

If AdBlue continues to become scarcer, more trucks could come to a standstill in the future and no longer be able to perform their duties. Without AdBlue, they would emit unfiltered, dirty combustion air and thus no longer comply with the strict environmental standards. One consequence would be that trucks would no longer be allowed to enter low emission zones and would simply stop. There are therefore warnings of supply bottlenecks, especially for vital, fresh goods and goods for daily use.

The Swiss Central President of the Swiss Commercial Vehicles Association (ASTAG), Burkart, has now called for driving without AdBlue to be permitted in extreme emergencies. This, however, would considerably increase the emission of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Up to an unbelievable 90 percent more nitrogen oxides would be released into the air. Nevertheless, he argues that trucks should be allowed to drive without AdBlue in an emergency, as otherwise the supply of the economy and the population could not be guaranteed. Jon Pult of the Swiss Social Democrats is against this "It would massively worsen the burden of harmful pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter and would be very detrimental to the health of the population and the environment in general". He believes that AdBlue technology can only be switched off if this happens as soon as possible, but that it must be prevented at all costs.

Then, however, many trucks would not be allowed to drive in low emission zones at all, as they would no longer meet the requirements. Even then, normal goods and freight traffic all the way to the customer would be in danger.  But this would not have devastating consequences for air quality and the environment.