WRI says improved fuel economy standards won't deliver fall in CO2 from cars

Sat 15 December 2007 View all news

A report by the US-based World Resources Institute (WRI) says that the proposed new EU regulations and strengthened CAFE regulations in the US will not cut total CO2 emissions because car ownership and use will more than take up the benefits from improved vehicle efficiency.

The WRI report says that, overall, up to now the car industry has held fuel efficiency almost constant while increasing weight and power. Standards currently proposed in the U.S. and Europe would lead to a 33% increase in fuel efficiency – defined as distance travelled per volume of fuel – in the U.S. and about 25% in Europe once all cars on the road meet new standards. However, the report points out that It will probably take 15-20 years for all vehicles on the road to meet any new standard, because it would only apply to cars yet to be sold.

Report author, Lee Schipper said that U.S. car buyers and drivers may be slowly waking up, noting a small ‘uptick’ in fuel economy of 2006 model year cars. "We need to do everything we can to improve fuel efficiency – but we also need to drive smaller, lighter vehicles. And we need to drive them less."


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