Spend on healthcare — not car scrappage

YOU report (August 15) that the SIMI is campaigning to extend scrappage subsidies to protect the car industry.

But Ireland does not have a car industry — it imports cars manufactured abroad.

The SIMI claims there are environmental benefits from scrappage — a saving of 74gm/km of CO2 per vehicle — but they admit they have no details for scrapped cars, and they are unable to substantiate this figure.

However, an approximate figure can be calculated using official government statistics.

According to Sustainable Energy Ireland figures, the average fuel consumption for cars registered in the year 2000 is 6.6 litres/100km, which equates to 152gm/km of CO2.

The average emissions of cars sold with scrappage subsidies is 135gm/km which gives a difference of 27gm/km — just a third of the fictional SIMI figure. Huge amounts of energy are used to manufacture a car.

According to the US Department of Energy, it’s the equivalent of 1,540 gallons (5,829 litres) of petrol and, according to Treloar, et al, 43 barrels of oil (6,880 litres).

Thus it would take more than 30 years to recoup the saving, and not two years as claimed by the SIMI.

I think the collapsing health service is more deserving of government largesse than car salesmen and the buyers of new cars.

Michael Job

Rossnagrena

Glengarriff

Co Cork