NORTH EAST MEP BACKS CO2 CUTS FROM CARS (Fiona Hall MEP)

Fiona Hall MEP <info@fionahall.org.uk>

NORTH EAST MEP BACKS CO2 CUTS FROM CARS

June 28, 2007 12:00 AM

Fiona Hall MEP, Chris Davies MEP (front) and MEPs from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe (ALDE).

Fiona is backing plans put to the European Parliament to reduce CO2 emissions from cars and offer financial incentives to North East drivers whose vehicles emit less CO2.

Liberal Democrat Fiona Hall, the Energy Spokesman in the European Parliament, is supporting the proposal made by Liberal Democrat colleague and North West MEP Chris Davies, to cut the average emissions from new cars.

The proposal calls for average emissions to be cut by more than a quarter by 2015, and by 42% by 2020, by improving the design and technology of new vehicles. New cars currently emit an average of 162g CO2/km. The proposal would require those emissions to be cut to 120g CO2/km and 95g CO2/km respectively.

Fiona Hall said:

"The scheme would implement a new market mechanism, the Carbon Allowance Reduction System (CARS), to encourage manufacturers to reduce the emissions of their vehicles.

"Manufacturers and importers would be required to pay a penalty in proportion to the emissions that their vehicles produce above an annual benchmark, but will be able to claim financial credits for vehicles emitting less than the average."

Fiona is also supporting calls for a major shift in the advertising of new cars, with 20% of all space devoted to information about fuel economy and CO2 emissions.

Fiona said:

"We give information to smokers about the effects of cigarettes, so why should we not insist that car makers give customers more information about emissions from the vehicles they sell."

Some 19% of all of Europe's carbon emissions come from passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles. Absolute volumes of CO2 continue to rise because of the growing number of cars on the roads, their greater size and much increased power.

Click here for the full text of the report.