Lee Heidhues 11.10.2021
How can Planet Earth ever hope to ween itself from toxic fossil fuels when the leading industrial nations refuse to get with the program?
The refusal of these nations to work towards a zero emissions in their production of cars gives the lie to all the rhetoric about a cleaner environment.
Just look at all the glitzy car ads on American television.
Don’t cast all blame on the government and car manufacturers who happily follow the will of the citizens and watch their profits soar.
It’s the car addicted consumers who equally share in the guilt. Motorists absolutely refuse to look at alternatives to the environment killing automobile.
Laziness, inertia, sloth are what drives most people to continue driving themselves to environmental oblivion.
Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 11.10.2021
Around 30 countries, cities and car manufacturers are planning a total shift to emission-free vehicles by 2040. But a number of major auto making countries — including China, the US and Germany — are not on board.
Climate-friendly mobility was one of the priorities of the UN climate conference in Glasgow according to this year’s COP host, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The participants should focus on “coal, cars, cash and trees,” he said.
Statements have already been made about coal and trees. Today cars are under the microscope as 24 countries, six major auto manufacturers as well as some cities and investors set the tone at a day dedicated to transportation.
“Together, we will work towards all sales of new cars and vans being zero emission globally by 2040, and by no later than 2035 in leading markets,” said their statement published in Glasgow. They want to “support efforts to achieve the road transport breakthrough.”
Among the automakers who signed on are Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz, the Swedish manufacturer Volvo, China’s BYD, Jaguar Land Rover, a unit of India’s Tata Motors and the American automakers Ford and General Motors (GM).
In addition to the UK, EU countries like Denmark, Poland, Austria and Croatia as well as a number of other industrialized states including Israel and Canada joined the agreement. Emerging and developing countries such as Turkey, Paraguay, Kenya and Rwanda are also taking part.
The US state of California and cities like Barcelona, Florence and New York are also involved. Additionally, companies that invest in the auto industry or have their own large vehicle fleets, such as utility company E.ON, Ikea and Unilever, signed the declaration.
Jennifer Eison, campaign manager for US NGO Action for the Climate Emergency welcomed the declaration.
Eison added that it was disappointing that the US had not signed up to the pledge.
“I think it’s great to hear that there are people who are committing to finally ending their use of fossil fuels,” she told DW. “We’ve known for a very long time that fossil fuels are driving climate change. And so to be able to have so many countries to commit to that, I think is bold and the type of action that we need right now.”
https://www.dw.com/en/cop26-germany-fails-to-sign-up-to-2040-combustion-engine-phaseout/a-59777202
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