Cleaner cars. The French Agency for Environment and Energy Management, ADEME, recently presented its most recent annual league table of European countries and its hit parade for the least polluting cars based on CO2 emissions (carbon dioxide). In just a few years, manufacturers have made significant efforts for making their cars “greener”. Overall, vehicles that have a diesel engine are higher performers in terms of how much carbon dioxide they emit compared to cars run on petrol but, when other pollutants are added to the equation, cars running on petrol perform better. The International Energy Agency (IEA) announced at the beginning of June a record figure of 30.6 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2010, a 5% increase compared to levels for 2008, which was also a record year. CO2 is mainly responsible for global warming when fossil energy is burnt (oil, gas and coal). The impact of road transport on air pollution is therefore a major challenge. It transpires that, in 2010, six manufacturers (there were three of them in 2009) attained the European regulation objective of admission levels that are less or equal to 130g CO2/km, initially planned for 2015: Fiat with 122g, followed by Toyota with127g and Renault and PSA with 129g. The European CO2 emissions average has fallen from 45g over a 15-year period, but more importantly from 20g over a five-year period and by 3g in 2010. Portugal is the champion country at this level with 129g, followed by France and Denmark (130 g), Ireland (133g) and Italy (134g). Other European countries are less ecological, such as Germany, Sweden and Luxembourg, where the culture for owning big saloon cars is proving to be rather tenacious. This progress was achieved with petrol run cars: in 2002. The highest performing vehicle had emission levels of 118g per CO2/km. In 2010, this fell to 89g thanks to hybrid vehicles being put on the market. Over the same period, there has not, however, been the same level of progress made for diesel run cars. The report therefore provides the following indications: 1) 80% of vehicle sales are now in green categories A, B and C (up to140 g per CO2/km). Fifty-six models have so far been proposed as opposed to 20 in 2010; 2) GPL sales rose significantly in 2000 and account for 3.4% of new vehicle registrations. Between 2009 and 2010, GPL sales tripled; 5 600 vehicles were sold in 2010; 3) diesel run car sales rose slightly. Despite a significant fall in 2009 (-7%), diesel sales improved slightly in 2010 (+0.4%) due to the constant increase in oil prices per barrel and the search for less expensive fuels. (I.L.trans/fl)