Cars and Carbon Dioxide

Cymraeg

As mentioned above, CO₂ is the most important of the greenhouse gases which are contributing to Climate Change. Unless action is taken to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, such as CO₂, the whole pattern of the World's weather could change, increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, floods, droughts and storms.

Compared to the reductions in the emissions of toxic pollutants,as desribed below, there has been less progress on reducing CO₂ from cars. For a given type of fuel the CO₂ emissions of a car are directly proportional to the quantity of fuel consumed. Until recently the average fuel consumption of new cars changed slowly. This was because while engines had become more efficient over this period, average vehicle mass had increased due to additional features to meet crash safety requirements and the widespread addition of features such as power assisted steering and air conditioning. However, at the Kyoto Conference on climate change in 1997, most developed countries agreed to legally binding targets to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in response to warnings over global climate change. Arising from this, the European Commission and industry associations of the major manufacturers selling in the EU, agreed in 1998 to reduce the average g/km carbon dioxide emissions of new cars. These voluntary targets would reduce this figure by over 25% by 2008/9, to 140g/km. Average fuel consumption has therefore dropped somewhat as a result of these voluntary agreements.

However, by 2006 it had become apparent that the targets were unlikely to be met. The Commission therefore decided to legislate. Following thorough negotiation, a regulation binding on manufacturers has now been agreed and is due to come into force in 2009. The main features of this are as follows:

The target is for an overall average of 130g/km CO₂ from 2012 onwards.

This will be allocated by giving each manufacturer an individual target to meet, based on the types of vehicles it sells—rather than exactly 130g/km for each or leaving the industry to decide how to meet it.

The 'type' of vehicle is determined by its mass: heavier cars have a higher g/km 'allowance'.

The target will be phased in, so that full compliance must be reached by 2015.

Some cars will have a different system applying to them, because the manufacturer or vehicle is unusual in some way.

There is a further target for improvement for 2020, provisionally set at 95g/km.

There are several facts to bear in mind for anyone owning or driving a car who is wondering how this will affect them:

The regulation is purely a matter for manufacturers: it won't require drivers or car buyers to do anything different.

It works on an average basis: it won't require individual cars to meet a particular g/km threshold (unlike air quality legislation) or ban cars on the basis of their CO₂ emissions.

It's only for new cars: it doesn't mean older, higher-emitting cars have to be taken off the road

It applies to all cars registered in the EU: it won't just apply to European manufacturers, and European-made cars first registered outside the EU will be unaffected

It's not about setting different targets for different countries: while manufacturers may of course choose to vary what they offer between states, the targets are for the EU as a whole

It doesn't tell governments how to set vehicle-related taxes: this will continue to be a matter for each state

In the UK, a number of other steps have been taken to promote the purchase and use of more fuel- efficient vehicles:

In the March 2001 Budget the Chancellor announced the extension of the lower rate of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) to cover cars in the Private and Light Goods (PLG) taxation class with an engine size of 1549cc or less.

Since March 2001, a system of Graduated VED has been in operation for new cars based primarily on their level of CO₂ emissions.

Since April 2002, Company Car Tax has been based on the CO₂ emissions of the vehicle provided to an employee for their private use.

In the March 2006 Budget, the Chancellor introduced a zero rate for cars with the lowest carbon emissions and a new top band for the most polluting cars.

CO2 Targets for Vans

The new EU regulation on CO₂ emissions applies only to vehicles type-approved as passenger cars (ie M1 vehicles). The European Commission intends also to regulate g/km emissions for vans (N1 vehicles), and is currently considering draft legislation.

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