New CO2 limits for 2015 instead?
Photo of the European Parliament published under the GNU Documentation License
Ok, I have to admit that this is becoming quite the complicated story. The basics are that the European Parliament intends to limit the average CO2 emission figures for auto manufacturers. The initial goal was to set the limit to 120 g/km in 2012 and the measure included considerable fines for automakers exceeding these limits. Not long ago, we heard that the European Commission was considering a less restrictive limit of 130 g/km for 2012 and other possible capitulations. Now, Greenpeace is accusing the European Parliament's Industry Commission of suggesting new limits instead: 120 g/km limit for 2015 and 95 g/km for 2020. The final outcome of this new legislation is still pending: It will be decided during the summit of the European Ministers of Environmental Affairs and the European Commission once the European Parliament's Environmental Affairs Commission votes next week.
[Source: Greenpeace via Portal del Medioambiente]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
meme 4:30PM (9/04/2008)
Oh, come on. 120 g/km is ~45mpg gasoline or ~55mpg diesel. On the lax European drive cycle -- probably under 40mpg gasoline and ~45mpg diesel by the revised EPA drivecycle. You don't need 6 1/2 years for that.
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 12:18AM (9/05/2008)
Already in 2007 the extremely powerful German mafia groups managed to get their way in Bruxelles on CO2. This only shows just how pointless something like the European Union really is while countries such as Germany are members.
More importantly the effect that this will have is very limited. No matter what the Germans manage to do in Bruxelles, they have already lost this battle:
http://www.acea.be/images/uploads/files/20080302_CO%202%20tax%20overview.pdf
Germany is already isolated from the rest of Europe on this issue (11 countries so far) and soon this isolation will be complete.
Go to page 13 of this document:
http://www.transportenvironment.org/Publications/prep_hand_out/lid:513
and look at the difference in average emissions from large countries such as Italy and France (2nd and 3rd position) to Germany (15th position) which has NO CO2 measure in place (a perpetual promise to do so does exist). From the same tale you also have that in Germany last year 25% more vehicles were sold compared with Italy, but Germany had disproportionately 44% more average emissions.....
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Phil 4:44AM (9/05/2008)
It's not all bad news from Germany, BMW are one of the leaders in low CO2 cars.
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/06/26/bmw-40-of-european-car-range-under-140-co2-g-km-by-fall/
What is the point of comparing the average car sold in Germany with that of Italy? Their economies are very different - the average German wants and can afford a larger car. Many similar comparisons could be made, such as UK verses Bulgaria, which would be equally sensless.
The important thing is to provide economic incentives that reduce the average emissions. Particular groups of people (like the average German) will always be able to afford to consume more (or choose to spend more on private transport than housing, health, entertainment or whatever).
The EU does seem to be planning to let automakers off easily though.
zeph 8:51AM (9/05/2008)
CO2 emissions are a smokescreen for real pollution, most of it in the corporate industrial sphere and a pretext for taxation, which is done as part of an elitist war against the middle class. Al Gore is just a front man for socioeconomic interests.
Man made CO2 emissions are akin to lighting a cigarette in a crowded bar (the bar being the metaphor for the earth here) and measuring the temperature increase.
Want to "save the world"? Realise that climate changes. And plant some trees and other vegetation.
Brussels dosen't have a clue.
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 2:20PM (9/05/2008)
what an absolute load of tosh....
that was an announcement by bmw which of course turned out to be a lie: the average bmw co2 emissions were 170g. Not only did they not go under 140 g CO2/km but there is no sign of bmw being able to go under 140 THIS DECADE (this is a simple matter of etrapolating the bmw figures over the last few years)
The drops in car emissions have nothing to do with economy and everything to do with technology. Back in 1988 all european manufactueres signed what is known as the ACEA agreement:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACEA_agreement
The French and Italian have already complied with the targets of the agreement, while the Germans not only have failed to do so, but there is no sign of the Germans being able to do so in the next 10 years or so. By that time, of course, the French and Italians will have moved well below their current 140 levels. Examples of how this has to do with technology are common rail engines. Most of the CO2 reductions in Europe are linked to common rail technology, and the French and Italians have an 8-year+ technology lead on the Germans. For example, Multijet common rail engines can be found today on Fords, Saabs, Tatas, Daimler trucks, Suzukis, Opels etc etc. The mini is, on the other hand, powered by a Peugeot engine.
With such a huge technological gap, the German government has felt forced to NOT enforce a single CO2-based tax measure, something which is already in place TODAY across the rest of Europe:
http://www.acea.be/images/uploads/files/20080302_CO%202%20tax%20overview.pdf
An example of how these measures can affect CO2 averages is Spain. SUV sales have conisistently fallen by over 40% in Spain thanks to responsible measures in that country which add a surtax of 2600 euros from 2008 to the purchase of silly tractors (eg. mercedes, bmw etc)
Furthermore the difference in emissions with Italy (44%) can also be seen looking at France (43%), UK (35%) and Spain (53%)
To further understand how this is purely a technology issue, look at the key players in the following key markets in Europe:
aircraft: airbus, dassault, eurocopter (france)
alenia , agusta (italy), atr (france-italy 50/50)
microelectronics: STMicro (France-Italy 50-50) is Europe's largest group
European UCAV Neuron: dassault, alenia, saab, hai, contraves (no german companies)
15 billion euro naval program FREMM (france-italy)
space: spacebus and eurostar geo platforms (france), artemis geo and cosmo leo platforms (italy). the new european vega launcher:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vega_(launcher)
Note how today ALL of Europe's most high-tech programs are carried out with a total absence of German participation.....
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