Climate change has become an overarching global issue and the need to reduce CO2 emissions to halt global warming is now (largely) accepted as scientific fact. And there’s no escaping that the car industry is a major contributor to CO2 emissions. For example, the Volkswagen Group estimates that, through its operations and the cars it has made, it is responsible for around 1% of the world’s total carbon emissions.
It might sound audacious, even somewhat hypocritical, to hear industry bosses say they want to take the lead in cutting CO2 emissions. But that’s exactly what Volvo boss Håkan Samuelsson did at the recent launch of the XC40 Recharge, the firm’s first electric car.
“Despite decades of political climate summits and very bold emission targets, CO2 levels are still increasing,” said Samuelsson. “Something else is needed to turn this tide – and we believe the answer must be action from the business community.”
Similarly, Hyundai’s R&D chief, Albert Biermann, said recently: “The car industry needs to play a big role to find solutions to the issue of global warming. We want to be a big player on this planet, so we take it as our responsibility to come up with sustainable solutions.”
Undoubtedly, the current move to mass electrification by the car industry has been sparked primarily by increasingly tough emissions targets from the EU and other regulators. Those targets are largely a product of the 2016 Paris Agreement – signed by 195 nations – which aims to limit global warming to 1.5deg C above pre-industrial levels.
The EU has mandated tough average fleet emissions targets for car manufacturers, starting with a 95g/km limit in 2021. For car manufacturers to meet those goals, they are essentially forced to produce – and sell – electrified cars.



Join the debate
CarNut170
Can carmakers save the planet?
No, the planet is not in peril.
Can carmakers save the human environment status quo: No, from the latest climate data it's pretty clear events have already got away from us. Look at the recent methane release in Africa for just one example.
Can carmakers help us adapt to the new climate norms: Yes.
Bob Cholmondeley
Can car makers really save the planet?
Not if they keep churning out millions of grossly overweight SUVs, instead of putting effort into making cars smaller, lighter and more aerodynamically efficient.
Cersai Lannister
Bob Cholmondeley wrote:
So, making the opposite of what the customer wants which is an SUV? It's a great idea for reducing a company's long-term impact on the climate but going bankrupt and instead of making zero-margin small aero-optimized cars that fewer and fewer people buy.
si73
I am sure they could help by
405line
Another way of
looking at this question is that the planet does not care whether humans inhabit it or not, according to science humans have only been here a short while. If the Earth formed at midnight and the present moment is the next midnight, 24 hours later, modern humans have been around since 11:59:59pm—1 second...like the terminator film stated "in a panic they tried to pull the plug"...it'll be too late by then. We have Venus as an example of what the planet Earth itself has to look forward to.
voyager12
The problem as always is: you're only asking car brands!
What all you unimaginative, inside-the-car-box thinking journalists and the SMMT don't realize: there's a HUGE chance for the UK auto industry in greening personal mobility. Better still, a Next-Gen EV can make a Tesla look completely "been there-done that"...
fleabane
Whatever
Come off it. The car industry had been dragged screaming into paying heed to environmental issues and now it's trying to use them as a bit of PR puff. If it wasn't for legislation and Elon Musk, they'd still be trying to persuade everyone to climb board gas guzzling SUVs ... oh they are, aren't they, and very successfully.
Add your comment