CARBON TARGETS GIVEN GREEN LIGHT BY EUROPE

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 25th Sep 2008

New binding targets to ensure car manufacturers reduce their CO2 emissions have been given the green light today, despite persistent lobbying from car manufacturers and a tough fight between MEPs on the European Parliament's Environment Committee.

In the face of strong opposition to the proposals car manufacturers will have to limit carbon emissions to 130g CO2/km by 2012, through vehicle technology improvements and other measures such as fuel-efficient tyres. MEPs also agreed to set a long term target of reducing vehicle emissions to 95g CO2/km by 2020.

Fiona Hall, MEP for the North East and climate change campaigner, who has continually pushed for binding targets said, "With vehicles accounting for around 20% of total European carbon emissions - the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming - it is vital to make cars more efficient.

"Liberal Democrat MEPs carried on pushing for tough targets even when the Socialists chose to work with Tories to try and block the targets and create loopholes.

"If the car industry had improved the fuel efficiency of new vehicles, as they had promised to do back in 1998, this long and drawn out process could have been avoided. We could have instead focused on the task in hand - to reduce emissions on all new cars at the lowest cost and by using the best technology."