Just one in a hundred cars are 'green': CSO

Just over 1% of new cars on the road last year are run on greener fuels, it was revealed today.

Some 180,872 privately owned cars were driven out of showrooms around the country but only 1,845 buyers opted for less harmful emissions, the Central Statistics Office said.

Despite the growing concern about the effect cars are having on climate change few drivers appear to heed the warnings.

Oisin Coughlan, Friends of the Earth director, said more intense efforts are needed to get people to go green.

“The figures for last year show the scale of the challenge we have ahead of us to make the shift to less polluting forms of transport,” he said.

“The changes to Vehicle Registration Tax and motor tax in December are a start but they are not enough. We need policies so that every choice we face is influenced.”

In July a revised VRT system will be based on CO2 emissions and the polluter pays principle – the higher the carbon levels the bigger the tax bill. There will also be extra tax relief for cleaner engines and hybrids.

The CSO report showed only 1,032 petrol and electric hybrid cars were licensed along with 813 petrol/ethanol. Four new public service vehicles are run on the petrol electric mix.

Some 7,443 vehicles were classed as exempt, meaning they avoid road tax, including state owned, diplomatic, fire services and disabled drivers. Only 43 of these are run on cleaner fuels.

In all 246,616 new vehicles hit the road last year, a 4.4% increase on 2006.

Ireland’s carbon footprint per person is twice the global average and our love affair with the car has even drawn criticism from the unlikeliest of sources, popular travel guide Lonely Planet.

It warned the country’s Emerald Isle reputation was in danger of slipping, with the country doing little to go green.

Mr Coughlan called for a series of initiatives to encourage people out of their cars.

On top of the VRT changes he said the Government should begin investing more heavily in public transport with an initial massive push towards buses.

He urged officials in the Department of Transport to look closely at imposing congestion charges in Dublin with the fees tied into vehicle engine size and also tolling on the M50 per kilometre.