Stockholm authorities will ban cars with internal combustion engines in the center of the Swedish capital from 2025 to improve air quality and reduce noise levels, a local official said on Tuesday.

The move is part of a new plan to create an “ecological” zone on 20 streets in the center of the Swedish capital. It is home to some of the most expensive real estate in Sweden, as well as luxury stores.

The Green Party, which is part of the left-wing coalition that governs the city, hopes the measure will speed up the switch from classic cars to electric cars.

“Today, the air in Stockholm causes lung problems in babies and leads to premature death in the elderly. This is an absolutely unacceptable situation,” said Lars Strömgren, Stockholm’s Deputy Mayor for Transport and a member of the Green Party.

Certain vehicles will be exempt from this rule, including ambulances and police cars, as well as cars whose drivers have a medically certified disability.

Not everyone is convinced by the decision to ban the movement of cars in the city center

The Green Party also says that the ecological zone will be expanded after the successful implementation of the initial plan.

But companies in the transport sector say the plan is too radical and that the government should focus on investing in electric vehicle charging points. They argue that this will convince people to voluntarily give up cars with internal combustion engines.

“We have reduced emissions by 34% since 2010. But the Green Party and their colleagues in the city of Stockholm are now in too much of a hurry,” the Swedish Transport Confederation said in a press release.

Stockholm became the first city in Sweden to announce the introduction of such an ecological zone.

In May of this year, the Danish capital Copenhagen also banned the movement of cars on certain streets in the city center, but the restriction was in effect at night and to ensure public order in nightlife areas.