Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles

Controlling air pollution from motor cars
Managing impacts of vehicle emissions on air quality

Context

In the European Union, emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from motor cars account for half of all such emissions from the transport sector; this is equivalent to 12% of all CO2 emissions.

Implementation

In 1996, the EU Council of Ministers agreed that that quantity of CO2 given off by new cars would be reduced to 120 gm/km by 2005 if possible, and by 2010 at the very latest. This would amount to a reduction of some 35% in relation to 1995 levels. European manufacturers have undertaken to reduce CO2 emissions to 140 gm/km by 2008, which represents a reduction of 25% as compared to 1995, and to reach the 120 gm/km target by 2012.

On 1 December 1999 the Association of Japanese Automobile Manufacturers (JAMA) and the Association of Korean Automobile Manufacturers (KAMA) committed themselves to achieve an average target of 140g CO2/km emission rate for their fleet of new passenger cars sold in the EU by the year 2009. The commitments correspond to those made in 1998 by the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA). The commitments do not impose a target on the individual manufacturers, but only an average target for all JAMA and KAMA members. Individual JAMA and KAMA members are thus free to apply more stringent as well as less stringent levels of CO2 emissions provided the average target is met. The car manufacturers are free to develop and introduce new CO2-efficient technologies independently and in competition with each other.

In 1995, the Greek government banned all private cars from the most ancient part of Athens in daytime, except those belonging to the relatively few people who lived there. Deliveries were allowed only at night and first thing in the morning, and free minibuses were taking tourists and Athenians into the area of over a square mile, which included the ancient town of Plaka beneath the Acropolis and several - former - major traffic arteries. The scheme cut down some 70,000 car journeys a day and became unexpectedly popular as people walked the streets without fear of being mown down.

Claim

True relief from Athens' smog will have to await the completion of a metro, which is under construction. But this is proceeding slowly because the excavations keep turning up archaeological treasures that have to be investigated and in the meantime the disruption is making congestion in the city even worse.