THE European Parliament has approved the world’s strictest regulations on carbon dioxide emissions for new cars, and it has received a mixed reaction.
Cars built in the EU after 2020 must abide by an average limit of 95 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre, compared with an existing limit of 130 grams.
Germany campaigned for more time to implement the restrictions as it will be extremely challenging for its car industry – which includes luxury car makers such as Daimler and BMW – to do so.
The German pressure has forced the Parliament to delay the target for a year and environmental campaigners said the delay meant only 95% of new cars would meet the 95 g/km target in 2020, equating to a 3 g/km weakening of the target.
Rebecca Harms, co-president of the Green Party in the European Parliament, said the weakening of the 2020 limits was “a shameful sop to German car manufacturers and will slow the development of new technologies to deliver more efficient and less polluting cars.”
