EU Frustrates Green Car Production

Did your grandparents ever make you orange squash when you were a kid? Mine did, and I could always tell who had made it by how watery it was. Yech!

So it is with EU legislation. It’s not a question of if it’s going to be watered down, but by how much. For example, efforts to cut vehicle CO2 emissions have been drastically undermined thanks to sustained lobbying from the motor industry.

The original proposal was to cut all new vehicle emissions from around 160 g/km to 120 g/km by 2012, backed up with a fine of €90 for every g/km emitted over the limit by a manufacturer’s average vehicle.

However a vote in the European Parliament has seen an agreement reached where only 60% of the manufacturers’ vehicles need to hit this target. In addition the fine has been reduced by over half to €40 for every g/km over the limit.

Furthermore, manufacturers will be allowed to count hybrid cars as one and a half vehicles and zero-emission cars as three vehicles. This will drive down the manufacturers’ average vehicle emissions and so result in lower fines being imposed.

The vote comes despite a new poll of EU citizens which shows that 87% of respondents back urgent action to meet the original 2012 target.

What do you think? Should the EU listen to its citizens and strengthen the proposed legislation, or do car makers need more time to make vehicles which emit less CO2?

Post your views below or start a new discussion on the Green Options Forum: let’s hear what you think!

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US vs. EU: A Debate on Carbon Emissions

Picture Credit: “PWD Car Green Wedge” by kkmurray from Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons ShareAlike License 3.0

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