| Europe’s carmakers are failing
to deliver the lower carbon emissions they promised the European Commission
in 1998, says a sustainable transport campaign group.
The T&E Transport and Environment pressure group based in Brussels
says that new cars shipped by members of the ACEA European carmakers’
group last year emitted 160 g/km of carbon dioxide (CO2) on average, down
by less than 0.5g from the previous year and the smallest reduction since
the goals were adopted in 1998.
ACEA committed in 1998 to aim for the 140 g/km level by 2008, but now
looks certain to miss that target. European Union legislators are debating
proposals that could see the emission levels reduced still further to
130 g/km by 2012, with some organisations pressing for an even stricter
target of 120 g/km.
T&E’s programme manager Aat Peterse said: “In the first
eight years of their voluntary commitment carmakers concentrated on bigger,
heavier and more gas-guzzling cars and the results speak for themselves.
Clearly the voluntary commitment wasn’t worth the paper it was written
on, and regulation is needed now more than ever.”
T&E accuses carmakers of holding back the technology that could reduce
emissions significantly and claims it is now only going to be released
with the threat of legislation increasing.
Peterse said: “In the past few months, Europe’s carmakers
have come up with enough green brands to fill a dictionary. It’s
up to the EU to make sure the current buzz translates into real emissions
reductions.”
|
|
