Passenger car CO2 emissions: Surprise environment committee vote shifts climate protection up a gear
The European Parliament Environment Committee today voted to introduce binding EU rules for reducing emissions from cars. Following the vote, German Green Rebecca Harms said:
"This vote is a watershed for climate protection in the European Parliament. MEPs have voted to introduce meaningful rules for tackling the damaging climate impact of cars by reducing their CO2 emissions. It is also a vote for European consumers: with oil prices so high, more fuel efficient cars will reduce the fuel cost burden for people who are dependent on cars.
"MEPs stood firm in the face of intensive lobbying from the car industry and voted to maintain the ambition of the original Commission proposal for reducing average CO2 emissions from cars in the EU: average emissions should be reduced to 130 g/km by 2012 through vehicle improvements with an extra 10 g/km reduction through additional measures. Climate scientists are telling us we need to take urgent action to prevent the most serious consequences of climate change. Tackling the rising CO2 emissions from cars is essential and this means introducing emissions limits sooner rather than later.We also welcome the introduction of the long-term target of 95g/km by 2020, which steps up pressure on the car industry to invest in innovation."
"Without effective penalties for non-compliance, these limits would be meaningless. It is therefore particularly welcome that MEPs in the Environment Committee voted to maintain the penalties proposed by the Commission - €95 per gram from 2015 - and rejected a compromise amendment that would have set penalties so low that it would have been cheaper for car makers to pay the fines rather than improve their cars.
"While the Greens still maintain that the proposal as it stands will not deliver sufficient emissions reductions from cars, it will at least mean automakers have to make real improvements. This vote sends a strong message to the Council that the European Parliament intends to support real action against climate change and we hope that German Chancellor Merkel will be forced to rethink her pollution-friendly proposals."
