How clean is your car brand?

Transport is the worst performing sector under ‘Kyoto’ and seriously jeopardizes the achievement of the Kyoto targets. Transport CO₂ emissions in the EU grew by 32% between 1990 and 2004. The share of transport in CO₂ emissions was 21% in 1990, but by 2004 this had grown to 28%.

Emissions from so-called ‘light duty vehicles’ (passenger cars and vans) are responsible for approximately half of this.

The oil used to power the wheels of cars and vans also greatly increases the EU’s oil import dependence, that currently stands at 80 per cent and is rising. At € 55 a barrel, cars and vans cost the EU and extra €92 billions of oil imports – almost the size of the EU budget and twice the amount the EU spends on development aid.

All these figures would come down considerably if cars and vans were made more fuel efficient, something that would automatically follow from stricter CO₂ limits.