I support the demand for a mandatory progressive fuel efficiency law for cars

Energy security today is a growing concern, especially for a developing country like India. The import of petroleum is draining the country of its resources. Today, India imports nearly 78% of its crude oil to meet the growing needs. And going by the International Energy Agency’s conservative estimates, this is only going to increase to a staggering 94% by 2030.

The transportation industry creates the largest demand for petroleum. The trend, however, is towards larger and more inefficient vehicles. Inefficiency only leads to a greater demand, which results in spiralling costs both for individuals like me and the economy at large. As an individual car owner, this is of great concern to me. World over, car manufacturers are providing efficient cars to their consumers; there is no reason, why we in India should settle for a raw deal.

Moreover, the transport industry alone contributes to close to one-fifth of India’s total carbon emissions. In other words, India plays a significant role in global warming. And I am unwittingly contributing to this. Going by the statistics provided by the Indian Automobile Association, India has the second fastest growing market for cars. The total vehicular population crossed 49 million in 2005 and it is estimated that by 2050, one of every six cars in the world will be in India.

Climate change has been acknowledged as the single largest environmental threat faced by humanity. And efficient use of energy is undoubtedly the quickest way to combat climate change, meet our growing energy needs and attain self-sufficiency.

It seems unclear as to why car owners should not be using efficient vehicles when there is underused technology to generate these waiting to be tapped. Or why I should have to pay through my nose for the very same reason.

I support Greenpeace’s demands for a mandatory progressive fuel efficiency legislation to be enforced by the Indian government. We need fuel efficiency, now!