The Stone Age procession is a reminder that the car industry is
still
trapped in the "dinosaur dynamic" of building ever-faster and
increasingly powerful gas-guzzlers at the expense of the climate.
The primitive parade also marks the launch today of a new
Greenpeace report, "Driving Climate Change: How the car industry is
lobbying to undermine fuel efficiency legislation".(2)
"This report shows how the car industry, led by the Germans, has
misled and manipulated the EU for 17 years. We have reached the
point where the car industry is endangering the EU's ability to
meet their obligations under the Kyoto treaty" said Agnes de Rooij,
Greenpeace International transport campaigner.
The report highlights how:
· German car companies have won the "Business War" and now set
the
agenda for the whole industry, overruling concerns of French and
Italian manufacturers;
· Commissioner Günter Verheugen and ACEA created the high-level
CARS 21 stakeholder group as a Trojan Horse to promote industry
policy in the EU;
· The "Integrated Approach" has allowed car companies to shift
responsibility for CO2 to drivers, town planners and
governments;
· Car manufacturers have rewarded political supporters with loan
cars and other perks;
· The car industry has already delayed legislation by seven
years and is pushing for another three.
Greenpeace calls on the EU to finally bring the car industry to
account and adopt a fleet average target of 120g CO2/km by 2012 and
80g CO2/km by 2020. These standards must be backed by meaningful
sanctions and not play into the hands of the German lobby by
providing special treatment for makers of heavy cars.
"The Parliament must not allow the car lobby to drive down the
EU's first-ever fuel economy standard. The Stone-Age thinking of
the car industry cannot be allowed to risk the planet for
short-term profits," said Franziska Achterberg, Greenpeace EU
transport campaigner.
Notes to editors:
(1) MEPs will meet this week to discuss the proposed fuel
efficiency
legislation.
(2) The report can be downloaded from
http://www.greenpeace.org/drivingclimatechange and is available in
English, German, French and Spanish.
Other contacts: Agnes de Rooij - Greenpeace International transport campaigner, +31 6414 566 74 agnes.de.rooij@greenpeace.orgJo Kuper, Greenpeace International communications +31 6 46 16 20 39jo.kuper@greenpeace.orgFranziska Achterberg ? Greenpeace EU transport campaigner, +32 (0)2 2741918,+32 (0)498 36 24 03 (mob.), franziska.achterberg@greenpeace.org
VVPR info: International photo desk - + 44 (0)7801 615 889International video desk - +31 6 46 16 2015