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Ministers still reluctant to accept full impact of biofuels

The battle to get the full environmental impact of biofuels recognised in EU legislation is still slow to make progress. Despite a letter from eight NGOs and a study from the Netherlands, EU energy ministers, in a meeting last month, did not even support the Commission’s proposed 5% cap on ‘first generation’ biofuels. At the same time, two new studies from the EU’s Joint Research Centre confirm that biofuels with high indirect land-use change emissions will cause more greenhouse gas emissions than petrol and diesel.

Shipping and aviation emissions in the context of a 2°C emission pathway

Sketch of a book (default image for publications

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol tasked IMO and ICAO with limiting and reducing emissions from bunker fuels yet emissions continue to grow and are likely to double or triple by 2050. UNEP has developed emission reduction pathways for CO2 in order to keep global warming limited to the 2 degree increase target. This paper draws attention to recent subsequent work from Professor David Lee and colleagues at Manchester Metropolitan University which sets shipping and aviation emissions within this context.

ICCT warns Commission on ‘weight v footprint’ debate

An international study has warned the EU that it risks getting an important detail wrong in plans to limit carbon dioxide emissions from new cars. The International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT) says basing the EU’s emissions standards on the weight of a vehicle will make it much harder and more expensive to achieve targets and instead a vehicle’s ‘footprint’ should be the guiding factor. 

Only a global pricing measure can keep aviation carbon-neutral, says scientist

A study by one of the world’s leading climate scientists says only a global market-based measure, such as a tradable price for CO2 emissions, will keep the growth of aviation carbon-neutral. The finding contradicts the line given by opponents of the EU’s plans for aviation emissions trading, and comes at a critical time in international efforts to tackle the climatic impacts of air transport. In a separate development, MEPs and Member States have sent a signal to international negotiators that the EU’s gesture to delay the enforcement of emissions trading is limited to one year, and time is running out.

Poland at a crossroads: The impact of CO2 and fuel economy regulation on Poland

In July 2012 the European Commission published its proposal on fuel efficiency and CO2 standards for new cars in the year 2020 (Review of Regulation 443/2009). The Commission proposes to reduce fuel consumption of new cars by almost 30% by 2020 to 3,8 l/100km (or 95g CO2/km). This proposal is currently being discussed by the Council and the European Parliament and is of singular importance to Poland.Poland is a country with a rapidly growing car fleet and a equally growing thirst for oil.

European Environment Agency critical of shipping air pollution

The shipping sector has been described as ‘one of the most unregulated sources of air pollution’. In a report on shipping, the European Environment Agency (EEA) says emissions from the sector have ‘increased substantially’ over the last two decades. Nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter (PM2.5) levels have risen by as much as 35-55% between 1990 and 2010, and nitrogen oxide emissions could increase so much in the coming years that they could be equal to land-based sources by 2020. 

Higher-than-advertised car fuel consumption due to carmakers’ manipulation of tests

The official fuel consumption measured in tests is now, on average, almost a quarter lower than that achieved on average by drivers on the road, a new report says. The report finds that this gap is growing and the principal cause is car manufacturers manipulating official tests.

Mind the Gap! Why official car fuel economy figures don’t match up to reality

This report provides new evidence and understanding on why there is a growing gap between the official fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of new passenger cars and vans, and that which is achieved by the same vehicles on the road. It demonstrates that the current (NEDC) test is outdated and unrepresentative of real-world driving and current vehicles, and that lax testing procedures are allowing car-makers to manipulate the official tests to produce unrealistically low results. The report also shows that the current supervision of testing and checks on production vehicles (to ensure these are equivalent to tested vehicles) are inconsistent and inadequate, with manufacturers paying the organisations undertaking and certifying the tests. The conclusion is that the current system for measuring car and van fuel economy and CO2 emissions is not fit for purpose and is in need to urgent updating.

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