Government threat to carbon targets says Liverpool MEP (Garston and Halewood Liberal Democrats)

Garston and Halewood Liberal Democrats <info@garstonld.org.uk>

Government threat to carbon targets says Liverpool MEP

November 2, 2007 12:00 AM

The Transport Secretary has been accused of letting car manufacturers "off the hook" by announcing plans to seek carbon emission reduction targets that need not be implemented for nearly two decades.

Ruth Kelly says she will be urging the European Union to require manufacturers to reduce average emissions from new cars to 100g C02/km by 2020-25. Currently they average 160g C02/km.

Last week the European Parliament voted strongly in support of proposals from British Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davies for a target reduction of 125g to be achieved by 2015.

Mr Davies says that car makers must be set binding targets for the period 2012-15 if Europe is to have any chance of reversing the current growth in carbon emissions from the transport sector.

He said: "The government talks tough on climate change but acts weak. With neither one minister nor car company CEO likely to be in the same position by 2020 this is an attempt to avoid serious decisions by kicking the ball into the long grass.

"Fortunately the emission targets for the car industry will be set in Brussels by EU ministers and MEPs working collectively. I am confident that a more ambitious approach will be adopted within the next two years, and that car manufacturers will be set both short and medium term targets backed up by the threat of financial penalties for non-compliance."