Greens criticise car pollution crackdown by EU

A Europe-wide crackdown on car pollution was attacked today as a compromise contradicting the EU’s claim to be leading the way on climate change.

The boast came at the Bali environment talks last week, but new proposals on cutting CO2 emissions have been drastically weakened after months of intense lobbying by European car makers – particularly producers of large, big-engined limousines.

The European Commission proposals fulfil a threat to the industry to legislate if voluntary CO2 curbs were not agreed.

Average car emissions currently run at 160 grams of CO2 per kilometre.

Under the proposed new legally-binding maximum, car makers will have to produce new cars not emitting more than 130 grams of CO2 by 2012.

But they were already supposed to have reached 120 grams two years ago.

Now the Commission says the 120 gram figure can still be reached by 2012, but manufacturers will only be accountable for achieving 130 grams, through improved car-making technology to improve fuel consumption: the other 10 grams saving will come from “other technological improvements” such as better tyres with less rolling resistance and by increased use of bio-fuels.

“This initiative should be seen in the broader context of the fight against climate change” said a Commission statement.

“Cars are an important part of the everyday lives of a large number of Europeans. However, car use has significant impacts on climate change insofar as it accounts for 12% of the overall EU emissions of carbon dioxide. Consequently, the EU has committed itself to ambitious greenhouse gas reduction and energy efficiency improvement targets to which all relevant sectors of the economy should contribute.”

But British Green MEP Caroline Lucas said the compromise – and another announcement due on Thursday on aircraft emissions – exposed the Commission as “hypocritical”.

She went on: “Both run the risk of severely compromising the EU’s strong rhetoric on climate change after concessions were made to the car and aviation industries.

“Just days after taking credit for leadership on climate issues at the Bali talks the EU is due to fail at the first real test of its own commitment. Transport is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, yet the two key decisions this week will set out targets on car and plane emissions which fall far short of what’s needed. The EU looks bereft of political leadership on climate change while it holds on to these weak targets.”

Ms Lucas added: “Political cowardice in the face of big industry lobbying is preventing the Council and the Commission from setting high emissions targets which seriously address the need to reduce greenhouse gases.

“Unless the EU gets its own climate policy in order, particularly on the vitally important issue of transport, its fine words in Bali last week will look like so much hypocrisy.”

She said: “Not only has it weakened its proposals, the Commission will probably also fail to set a longer term standard altogether for 2020. The proposal is likely to favour heavy cars, differentiating standards for individual car manufacturers on the basis of weight. This would give carmakers a totally perverse incentive to increase the size of their cars, rather than creating smaller and cleaner cars.

“We already know that carmakers failed to make the emission cuts they had promised under an earlier voluntary agreement, in part for the very reason that cars were increasing in weight.”

Tony Bosworth, Friends of the Earth’s senior transport campaigner, said the EU’s climate change credibility was at stake: “The EU must rise to the challenge, not back down in the face of self-interested lobbying from the car industry.

“Low carbon cars are a critical part of any strategy to cut transport’s contribution to climate change. Key decisions will be made over the next 18 months and the European Commission’s proposal will set the tone for this debate”

He said the changes needed to meet tough CO2 emissions limits were not “rocket science”. Emissions were directly linked to fuel consumption, so cutting car weight, improving engines, particularly through the use of hybrid motors, and introducing “stop-start” technology which cuts the motor while stopped, were all readily-available options.

Average emissions from new cars sold in 1995 were 185g/km, and had dropped to 160 g\km by last year.

But progress has been too slow for Brussels, and EU governments are likely to agree with the need for new laws – and penalties against manufacturers who breach the CO2 ceilings by the target date.