- cross-posted to:
- fuck_cars@lemmy.ml
- cross-posted to:
- fuck_cars@lemmy.ml
Half of all new cars are now SUVs, making them a major cause of the intensifying climate crisis, say experts
Sales of SUVs hit a new record in 2023, making up half of all new cars sold globally, data has revealed. Experts warned that the rising sales of the large, heavy vehicles is pushing up the carbon emissions that drive global heating.
The analysis, by the International Energy Agency, found that the rising emissions from SUVs in 2023 made up 20% of the global increase in CO2, making the vehicles a major cause of the intensifying climate crisis. If SUVs were a country, the IEA said, they would be the world’s fifth-largest emitter of CO2, ahead of the national emissions of both Japan and Germany.
Climate-fuelled extreme weather is increasing, with urgent cuts in emissions needed. But emissions from the global transport sector have risen fast in recent years, outside of the Covid pandemic. SUV sales rose 15% in 2023, compared with a 3% rise for conventional cars.
Automakers aren’t encouraged to create more efficient small vehicles. The US emissions system is based on the vehicle’s footprint rather than its total output. Therefore, it’s more “climate friendly” in marketing to make an underpowered larger vehicle.
https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN21D1KK/
The US also imposes a tariff on import of light trucks – which I understand large vehicles like crossovers are also classified as – due to a 1960s dispute over US chicken exports to Europe that was never resolved, making those more-profitable for domestic manufacture, since the market is less-competitive.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax
I suppose that if European chicken protectionism ended, American auto protectionism also might, and so would the misincentive to sell as many light trucks as possible.
Another fun quirk that I expect – though haven’t looked into – derives from this: American towing requirements have long been much higher than those in Europe. One needs a considerably larger vehicle to tow a given trailer legally. That effectively means that if one wants to tow things in the US, one effectively needs to pay the “chicken tax” to domestic automakers.