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EU deal on cars and carbon dioxide emissions
2 December 2008
Commenting on the agreement reached last night (1 December) by European decision-makers on a new regulation on cars and carbon dioxide, Friends of the Earth's Senior Transport Campaigner Tony Bosworth said:
"This is a depressing outcome on a vital piece of climate legislation - it's riddled with delays, loopholes and concessions."
"Instead of forcing the car industry to put its foot down and speed up progress in making smarter cars that use less fuel, EU politicians have caved in to industry lobbying and allowed it to coast along at its own pace for a few more years.
"Along with other nations, the UK Government's key priority was to get a good deal for its own car industry - the interests of the planet and its people have clearly come a poor second."
Notes:
1. EU decision-makers agreed to phase-in compliance with the European Commission's proposed emissions target of 130 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre (g/km) between 2012 and 2015, rather than it being fully implemented in 2012. Penalties for not meeting the emissions targets have also been reduced from the Commission's proposal. A longer-term target has been set to reduce emissions to 95g/km by 2020 but it has not been specified how this target should be met. Friends of the Earth and other NGOs had called for emissions targets of 120g/km by 2012 and 80g/km by 2020. This 2020 target, which would mean car makers doubling the average fuel efficiency of new cars sold, was supported by over three-quarters of people polled in a YouGov survey earlier this year.
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Dec 2008
