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No need to delay car emissions targets, experts say |
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Technology to reduce emissions from cars to less than 120 grams per kilometer, including car air conditioning, is ready for mass production today without an excessive initial investment, according to experts discussing in the European Parliament.
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2007-06-14
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"There is no need to wait until 2012 or beyond. By implementing simple measures, with already existing technology, emissions from cars can be reduced to less than 120grams of CO2 equivalent per kilometer," Axel Friedrich, Head of Transport in the German Federal Environment Agency, transmitted as a key message at an experts gathering the European Parliament. Giving various concrete examples on how could this be done, and the associated costs, he concluded that "with modest investment, both emissions and fuel consumption can be reduced by 20% today."
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R744 in cars
Asked about the decision by car manufacturers on a new refrigerant for vehicle air conditioning, Friedrich was clear: "We cannot understand why the industry is dragging its feet to switch to a natural refrigerant (R744), since all new blends being considered are far worse for the environment." He counted, however, on German Manufacturers taking the lead in implementing CO2 Technology (R744), since "others could then follow, creating a snowball effect that will help reduce emissions globally."
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To limit the impact from car air conditioning, Friedrich concluded that "it is vital to include mobile air conditioning in testing to measure emissions and fuel consumption."
The transport emissions challenge
"Transport has been ignored so far in measures to limit global warming, even though its emissions have been steadily increasing over the last years," said Michael Cramer, from the European Green Party, at the opening of the event to discuss transport and climate change.
"Reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from transport is not solely linked to technology development but to a change of lifestyle," he concluded.
Background
Accounting for over 24% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, and with an increase of 26% since 1990, the transport sector is facing increasing pressure to reduce its share of contribution to global warming. The Conference "Transport and Climate Change", held in the European Parliament in Brussels on 14 June, offered EU policymakers the option to discuss different options to reduce greenhouse gases from all forms of transport, with a special focus on passenger cars and aviation.
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More information:
 Presentation Dr. Axel Friedrich, German Federal Environment Agency (954 KB)
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