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Reflections on a snowy day in Beijing

Fiona Feng with her small snowman

I made a small snowman in my garden today. I have to call it a small snowman since it really is small. And the snow is not good enough for making snowballs - which are the basic building block of any snowman's body. But it was still really fun. I couldn't remember how long it was since I had made a snowman or had so much fun. I am thankful for what was the first and probably the last snow this winter, although I have read that the government has plans to make it snow again because we are in the middle of a pretty serious drought in Beijing.

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European parliament votes to crack down on gas guzzlers

25 Sep 2008

MEPs from the environment committee of the European Parliament have unexpectedly backed legislation which would dramatically cut the amount of CO2 passenger cars are allowed to emit.

MEPs resisted strong pressure from the car industry to support most of the proposed measures, under which car manufacturers would be forced to limit emissions to 130g CO2/km by 2015. MEPs also agreed to set a long term target of reducing vehicle emissions to 95g CO2/km by 2020. The current EU average is 158g CO2/km.

Reacting to the news, Greenpeace Senior Transport campaigner Anita Goldsmith said:

"This vote sends a powerful message to Europe's car makers that they need to completely rethink the way they do business to deal with the threat posed by climate change. Those that adapt to the new rules with enthusiasm and innovation will thrive, while those that cling to the engines and ideas of the 20th century will lose out."

"We now need to see these targets tightened up over the next few years, and in the short term it's vital that ministers work together to make this proposal a reality."

MEPs were congratulated for rejecting calls to delay the proposed 2012 target and to weaken penalties for non- compliance. The environment committee also voted to go beyond the original proposal by introducing a second target in 2020, subject to a review. Greenpeace is now calling on EU ministers to respect the Parliament's decision and support effective legislation to limit emissions from cars and protect the climate.

Notes to editors:

(1) The European Commission last year put forward a proposal to cut emissions from passenger vehicles to 130g CO2/km by 2012. The current EU average is 158g CO2/km. The environment committee effectively backed up that proposal in a vote today, and also approved a non-binding target of "no more than" 95g CO2/km for 2020, subject to a review in 2014. The final text will now be negotiated between the Parliament, EU environment ministers and the European Commission.

Contacts:

Greenpeace Press office - 0207 865 8255

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European Parliament votes to cut emissions from cars

Activists from Greenpeace Spain climbed the Osborne Bull, an internationally known symbol of Spanish roads, to "protect" him from increasing CO2 emissions from cars Some great news has come in from Greenpeace lobbyists at the European Parliament, where the EU environment committee have given the thumbs up to reducing CO2 emissions produced by cars.

The group of MEPs resisted efforts by German car manufacturers to weaken down the proposals and have recommended that by 2012 all new cars should emit no more than 130g of CO2 per km (the current EU average is 158g). Even those this doesn't match the 120g level we and other groups were proposing, this is a big turnaround as when the committee went into session, it seemed certain a compromise package riddled with loopholes would get the nod.

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Do you want to make cars less polluting? Now's your chance

While congestion charging schemes to control CO2 emissions from traffic are proving controversial in London and elsewhere, there's a chance we might see some action in Brussels on this problem very soon.

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Mundo Cars drive down mondo fuel use

While our own drive to drastically improve car efficiency changes gears, there are of course plenty of other people trying to get the message across. One such group, Mundo Cars, isn't the new line of Slovakian automobiles it might appear to be, but a collaborative effort by several organisations working on transport issues.

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Yadda dabba don't: cavemen arrested in car protest

Six cavemen in a Flintstones-style car protesting about the car industry's lack of action on climate change

Protests by lorry drivers in London and Wales today show the strength of feeling surrounding fuel prices and, as oil hit US$135 a barrel last week, they're unlikely to fall anytime soon. Hauliers want the government to abandon proposed 2p tax increase and so ease the pain, but that would only be a short-term fix for a long-term problem - what's really needed is affirmative action on setting minimum fuel efficiency standards for road transport.

Which is why, if you happened to be in Brussels yesterday morning, you would have seen a bizarre site - six cavemen and women travelling the streets in Flintstones-esque car. (Don't believe me? Watch the video.) They were exposing the stone age thinking (geddit?) of the car industry who, lead by German car manufacturers, have been stifling attempts to improve car efficiency and reduce CO2 exhaust emissions for 17 years. First stop was the headquarters of the car manufacturer's lobby group, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), to deliver copies of a new report about the impact their industry is having on climate change.

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Fuel price protests - Greenpeace response

27 May 2008

Reacting to protests over fuel price increases, Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said: 

"There are ways around the fuel price increases that are good news for the climate and good news for drivers' pockets. Keeping your speed below 55 can save more money than the recent price hikes and cut CO2 as well. But in the long run the government needs to force car manufacturers to build more efficient vehicles. As it is Brown has failed to take a lead in Brussels where talks on vehicle efficiency are coming to head." 

  • Greenpeace supports the fuel escalator, but wants to see the receipts used to make public transport cheaper and better.
  • Greenpeace also believes the retrospective application of VED banding based on efficiency was a mistake. It's the kind of measure that gives green taxes a bad name because it does not change behaviour. The new VED band taxes should apply to new cars, but be a lot tougher in penalising the most polluting vehicles - taxing the worst gas guzzlers at £2000 per year.

ENDS 

For more information, contact the Greenpeace press office on 0207 865 8255.

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Porsche sulks over London congestion charge, starts a petition

Porsche logoLondon mayor Ken Livingstone was never going to get an easy ride over his planned changes to the congestion charge, and Porsche's threat of a legal challenge is perhaps no big surprise. Famed for its fast, sleek, inefficient cars, it claims the new £25-a-day charge on gas guzzlers is "unfair and disproportionate".

As well as the promised judicial review, the company has started a petition for the Jeremy Clarksons of this world to voice their opposition to Ken's plan. "We know that huge numbers of people in London and across the rest of the country support our case," they claim. "They agree with us that it would be bad for London - that it is unfair and sends the wrong message about what sort of a city London is whilst having no meaningful benefit on the environment."

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New congestion charge kicks out gas guzzlers

Traffic jam As reported in yesterday's news, London's congestion charge is being modified again to improve the capital's green credentials. From October, vehicles emitting the highest amounts of CO2 will have to pay £25 a day which gets a big thumbs-up, while the most efficient cars will get into central London free of charge.

Some commentators have pointed out that this effectively changes the purpose of the charge from reducing congestion to reducing pollution, and that's no bad thing. According to the World Resources Institute, road transport spews out around 10 per cent of global emissions (pdf), so providing incentives to move to more efficient models is going to do a lot to cut those exhaust fumes.

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Greenpeace response to London gas-guzzler congestion charge rise

12 Feb 2008

Responding to Ken Livingstone's announcement today that gas-guzzling vehicles will have to pay £25 a day to enter London's congestion charge zone, Greenpeace Chief Scientist Dr Doug Parr said:

"Gas guzzlers have no place in a modern city like London, so it's great news that the congestion charge will give people a big incentive to pollute less.

"Buying one of these vehicles is becoming a bad idea, for the planet and the wallet. If we really want to tackle climate change properly we need to encourage people onto public transport and out of their cars where possible."

ENDS

Greenpeace press office: 020 7865 8255.