In June 2005, the UK's Royal Society and equivalent scientific bodies across the globe issued a statement. It said that the evidence for global warming was over-whelming and that increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere caused by non-natural sources, was to blame. The motor industry accepts this conclusion unequivocally. Being part of a problem means accepting responsibility to be part of the solution. And in this respect, the motor industry in the UK has a good news story to tell. Huge improvements have been made in the environmental credentials of our products and production sites. Progress has been taking place over decades too, not just in the few years since climate change soared to the top of all our agendas.
Firstly, a little context. Road transport is a significant contributor to man-made CO2 emissions, but it is not the only source. In the UK road transport accounts for around 20%: cars are responsible for 11.5% of total UK CO2 emissions in 2006. This contrasts with emissions through energy production 36% and domestic use 13%
So what exactly has the motor industry done to clean up its act? From production sites across the UK, energy use and CO2 emissions per vehicle produced have been halved in just four years. Water use too has been slashed while waste to landfill has been cut by a factor of four. From products, average new car CO2 emissions have dropped by 16% in ten years, thanks to investment in technologies like hybrids, biofuel cars, low-emission diesels and improvements in fuel economy. Things like direct petrol injection, stop-start technology, variable valve timing and exhaust gas recirculation have helped boost mpg, cutting harmful emissions. Moving forward, SMMT will continue to work with government, fuel companies, Non Government Organisations and consumers to cut road transport’s carbon footprint.
Within the industry our appreciation of sustainability issues has improved. We understand things like the role of sustainable fuel production: there's no point in zero emission cars if production of their fuel is so energy intensive that it offsets the tailpipe benefits. We know that the ‘in use’ phase - when a vehicle is being driven - accounts for around 85% of its carbon footprint, with 10% coming from production and 5% in disposal.
So as part of an integrated approach, clear advice for motorists is imperative. We support DfT's Act on CO2 campaign which itself follows the industry’s own Drive Green Drive Safely campaign. Both encourage motorists to play their part in keeping emissions to a minimum, with helpful tips and advice. In partnership with the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP), SMMT and its members also introduced a colour-coded label in new car showrooms. This is now familiar to millions of new car buyers, making clear car-by-car comparisons on CO2 emissions and annual running costs, as well as tying the message that low carbon and lower cost motoring go hand-in-hand |
