The Clean Shipping Coalition welcomes the adoption by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) of an Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI)
regulation for new ships, but warns that it's only the first step in what needs to be a far more expansive effort to address shipping’s climate impacts.(1)
Environmental groups are calling on the European Commission to block a planned German car CO2 label that gives gas guzzling SUVs such as the Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7 the same ‘green’ rating as some of Europe’s most fuel efficient car models.
The European Union, backed by six of its member states, Norway and an international coalition of environmental organisations robustly defended the law integrating aviation into the EU emissions trading system (EU-ETS) at a hearing today at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
The EU has published new data showing a decline in the average CO2 emissions of new cars in 2010 of 3.7% (1). But the data also shows that the average weight of cars has risen by 28kg or 2% as carmakers increasingly market SUVs and so-called crossover vehicles (2). Had weight not increased, the CO2 reduction would have been 5%, or one third better say Transport & Environment (T&E), the EU sustainable transport campaigners.
The European Commission has announced plans to tighten noise limits for cars, lorries and buses with a proposal expected within weeks and by September at the latest. Environmental and health organisations have welcomed the Commission’s announcement but called for standards that go much further towards World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations for avoiding dangerous impacts on health from traffic noise pollution.
The EU has reached an agreement on revised road charging rules for lorries (the Eurovignette directive) that would open the door for Member States to charge for air and noise pollution in road tolls but introduces a loophole for lorries under twelve tonnes. The deal was finalised last night in 'trialogue' discussions between the European Commission, Council and Parliament.
Transport & Environment (T&E) strongly criticises the announcement today by the Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Environment Melanie Schultz Van Haegen to allow trucks up to 25 meters long and 60 tonnes in weight to operate across the Dutch road network (1). EU law currently restricts the length of lorries to a maximum of 18.75m and 40-44 tonnes.
Nine in ten Italians are in favour of vans being fitted with compulsory speed limiters according to a survey by Doxa, an Italian market research company, on behalf of three environmental organisations (1). The groups, along with European sustainable transport campaigners Transport & Environment, are calling on the EU to make speed limiters for vans mandatory as soon as possible.
Transport & Environment has welcomed a European Commission proposal to raise minimum diesel tax rates in Europe, as new research shows the average fuel tax in Europe has declined in real terms by 10 cents a litre since 1999.
On the day the European Commission is set to propose an increase in the minimum level of road diesel taxation in Europe (1), a new study shows
that average road fuel taxes in Europe have declined by 10 cents per litre in real terms since 1999. If taxes had been inflation-corrected and the revenues
used to lower labour taxes, 350,000 jobs would have been saved, oil imports would have been cut by €11 billion, and road transport CO2 emissions would
have been 6% lower, according to the report (2).