Brussels, 29/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - Some good news for climate change has just been announced: average CO2 emissions from new cars in the EU dropped by 3.7% last year to 140g per kilometre, the second consecutive steep drop, after a 5.1% reduction in 2009. Annual CO2 emissions monitoring from cars in the EU was introduced in 2000. These provisional figures, published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) on Wednesday 29 June, were immediately hailed by Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard as a success to be attributed to the private vehicles emissions reduction strategy which seeks to reduce the average level of emissions to 130g/km by 2015.
“These data show again that setting targets delivers results and stimulates the car industry to put greener cars on the market. These innovations also ensure that Europe's car industry remains competitive in the changing global market”, said the commissioner in a press release.
According to the EEA if the downward trend continues apace, the target set for 2015 by EU legislation (Regulation No 443/2009) will be reached ahead of schedule. The exceptional level of reduction recorded in 2009 could probably be put down to the economic crisis and car scrapping schemes in a number of member states.
The report shows that the average engine capacity of cars sold in the EU in 2010 fell slightly compared with 2009. The average weight, however, rose considerably (after a large fall in 2009), returning to the pre-economic crisis level. Average CO2 emissions per kilometre travelled were brought down, however, through improvements in car technology and fuel efficiency. An indication that alternative fuel vehicles are gaining ground is that, in 2010, about 13,000 flex-fuel vehicles and 700 electric vehicles were registered in the EU.
These data are still provisional and have yet to be examined by car manufacturers before validation by the Commission. Final data will be published before 31 October 2011. (A.N./transl.rt)