Carbon pollution from new cars increased again last year, by 1.3% on average, according to the EU’s environmental watchdog, the EEA.
European clean transport campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) said the repeated rise in car CO2 is due to manufacturers continuing to sell highly-polluting SUVs “until the last possible moment” before pushing cleaner models to comply with the EU’s 2020/21 climate target.
Provisional data shows that new cars sold in 2019 emitted 122.4 grams of CO2 per km – up 1.6g/km on the previous year’s average.
Currently carmakers in the EU have to meet five-year emissions targets, with the last standard enforced back in 2015.
T&E said that during the planned review of CO2 targets in 2021, the EU should move to annual or bi-annual deadlines.
“It’s a scandal that one year out from their CO2 target, carmakers are still pushing gas-guzzling SUVs,” said Julia Poliscanova, senior director for clean vehicles at T&E.
“The EU must stop this maximising of profits at the cost of public health and the planet by bringing in annual or bi-annual emissions targets.
“That way carmakers will bring the zero-emissions cars they have developed to the forecourt quicker.”
According to the EEA, SUVs now account for 38% of new cars sold in Europe – up from almost a third in 2018 and from 7% in 2008.
What’s more, the average petrol SUV sold last year reportedly increased its emissions to 134g/km while the average of other petrol cars sold was around 121g/km.
SUVs would qualify to receive post-Covid purchase incentives under emissions thresholds being discussed in Italy and Spain, claimed T&E, which believes no fossil fuel cars with emissions above 95g – the EU 2020/21 target – should receive taxpayers’ support.
Poliscanova added: “Carmakers who recklessly choose to push lucrative SUVs are now asking for taxpayers’ money to prolong the polluting bonanza.
“National scrappage schemes should only support the transition to emissions-free cars and a more competitive, future-proof auto industry.”
Read more from CiTTi
https://www.cittimagazine.co.uk/if-all-cars-were-electric-uk-carbon-emissions-would-drop-by-12/
https://www.cittimagazine.co.uk/te-busts-ev-co2-myth/
