The United Kingdom will ban new diesel and petrol car sales by 2040 in an effort to reduce its air pollution, environment minister Michael Gove announced Wednesday.

By banning these sales by 2040, the U.K. hopes all diesel and petrol cars will be off the roads by 2050, he said.

"We can't carry on with diesel and petrol cars, not just because of the health problems, but also because the emissions they cause will accelerate climate change," Gove told BBC.

The U.K. is following France's lead in instilling a long-term goal to ban oil-fueled cars. German cities including Munich and Stuttgart have also considered reducing the number of diesel and petrol cars on the road to limit respiratory health issues linked to emissions.

The British government has been pressured to address its air pollution problem after losing multiple legal cases brought on by environmental campaign groups. As a part of its proposed outline to rid the country of its most polluting vehicles, Gove said the British government will also give more than £200 million – about $233 million USD – to local officials to tackle emissions from diesel cars, especially on certain roads with high levels of air pollution. This figure is part of a larger £3 billion package the government has passed to spend on air quality, BBC reports.

Diesel cars make up Europe's second biggest market, but they are blamed for poor air quality. While diesel car sales have fallen 10 percent so far in 2017, sales of petrol-fueled car sales have risen 5 percent in Britain, industry data show. Further, electric and hybrid car sales have risen by 27.5 percent so far this year, but they still account for less than 5 percent of new car sales in the U.K.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, told Reuters there needs to be more incentive for consumers to buy the hybrid and electric cars.