from Sunday Herald, 21 March 2004
All major car manufacturers are secretly lobbying the European Commission (EC) to relax its target for cutting climate-wrecking pollution from exhausts, a leaked document has revealed.
A confidential memo from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association to the Environment Commissioner, Margot Wallström, claims that the proposed cuts will “seriously damage” the industry. The association represents Ford, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Fiat, Renault, Peugeot Citroen, Volvo, Volkswagen and four others.
The revelation has infuriated environmental groups, who are demanding that the EC sticks to its guns. They accuse the industry of ignoring the catastrophes that are being threatened worldwide by the climate chaos caused by vehicle pollution.
The EC wants sharp reductions in the amount of carbon dioxide, a main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change, that cars belch into the atmosphere. Average emissions are meant to fall from 165 grams per kilometre in 2002 to 120 by 2010.
But the industry memo, seen by the Sunday Herald, insists this will be impossible. It estimates that it will add £2700 to the cost of every car, amounting to an extra £33.5 billion a year throughout the European Union (EU).
“Car buyers are not prepared to pay any extra for cleaner, more environmentally-friendly cars,” it asserts. Because of the decline in new car sales since 2001, car manufacturers were already suffering from “thinner” profit margins.
“An over-ambitious carbon dioxide reduction policy that is essentially only car-technology focused, would impose massive additional costs per car along with tremendous negative societal costs for the EU economy, and would threaten the competitiveness of the European car manufacturing industry,” the memo concludes.
“Adverse impacts for the EU economy would include: a move of car production to non-EU countries, disappearance of large/premium cars, plant closures, sizeable job losses, decreased trade balance, reduced income tax and lowered economic growth.”
The industry also complains about its “mounting regulatory burden”. It proposes a new approach based on cleaner fuels and more traffic management schemes to limit mobility, as well as the promotion of “eco-driving”.
The memo from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association is supported by another from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. This incorporates Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Yamaha and six other car makers.
“Considering the increasing trend towards globalisation, competition in today’s automobile industry is getting extremely fierce,” the Japanese memo warns.
“We advise that the economic situation of this key industry be taken into account when considering the introduction of increased environmental legislation,” it adds.
Both memos were sent to Wallström towards the end of last year. She forwarded them last month to the chair of the European Parliament’s environment committee, Caroline Jackson MEP, saying that they were still being analysed by the EC.
“If these documents are accurate, it is seriously worrying and the environment committee should investigate the matter,” said Catherine Stihler, a Scottish MEP on the committee. “Global warming is of concern to us all and we need to make every effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.”
Wallström has hinted that she still wants car manufacturers to meet the emission target of 120 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre by 2010. “I appreciate the efforts that the car industries, in particular the European and Japanese industries, are making to reduce carbon dioxide emissions,” she said in February.
“If we want to reach our Kyoto targets, we have to lower carbon dioxide emissions from transport.”
Under a protocol signed in the Japanese city of Kyoto in 1997, the EU must cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 8% before 2012. Emissions from vehicles are one of the main contributors.
Friends of the Earth Scotland thought the leaked documents neatly illustrated the weakness of voluntary agreements for tackling environmental problems. “On one hand the car industry tries to claim that emission reductions can be achieved more swiftly using voluntary means, but then it goes on to try and wriggle out of having to meet the reduction targets,” said the group’s chief executive, Duncan McLaren.
“The EC must stand up to the car industry on this issue. If the industry fails to deliver on its promises then the EC should legislate to force it to cut pollution.
“Past experience tells us that the threat of legislation is the best way to stimulate real improvements and technological innovations.”
The documents showed that the industry was trying to blame everyone apart from itself, McLaren claimed.
“They even have the audacity to threaten that there will be ‘excessive societal costs’ should they be forced to deliver the Commission objective – choosing to ignore the massive detrimental impacts society is already beginning to suffer as a result of pollution-induced climate change,” he said.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association confirmed to the Sunday Herald from Brussels on Friday that its memo was genuine. However, it was unable to offer any comment on its contents, or respond to criticisms.
CAR MANUFACTURERS' ATTEMPTS TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONSmanufacturers association / average emissions of carbon dioxide in grams per kilometre in 1995 / in 2002 / European Commission target by 2010
European Automobile Manufacturers Association / 185 / 165 / 120
Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association / 196 / 174 / 120
