Do the Conservatives Really Care about Reducing Greenhouse Gases?

It's pretty well recognized today that human-induced climate change is the greatest long-term threat to humans and wildlife.

In fact, you would think everyone but the loonies would support measures that decrease our dependency on oil and help to reduce CO2 emissions. But that isn't the case. Our Conservative MEPs are working hard to help scupper new fuel-saving targets for the car industry.

We strongly believe that a tough EU regulation to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars is an essential part of meeting the carbon reduction targets of both the UK and the EU. Research for the UK Government shows that low carbon cars could make the single biggest contribution to cutting carbon emissions from transport. In particular, we see this regulation as playing a significant role within a range of measures to tackle emissions reductions from transport.

To date, the motor industry has not played a full part in tackling climate change, as the failure to meet the targets in the Voluntary Agreement shows. In fact, around the globe they have continually fought off regulations, instead insisting that any rules will hurt their industry economically.

Given the fact that cars form the single biggest category of oil use and that there is an impressive technological potential to make them more fuel efficient, one of the most effective measures the EU can take to reduce its rapidly rising oil import bill is to introduce mandatory fuel efficiency targets.

So just when we need or MEPs to be visionary, MEPs like Martin Callanan are pressing for agreements that favour German car makers like Porsche and Mercedes Benz who continue to build luxury cars for fat cats that are both heavy and polluting.

Baby Dies as 4x4 Mounts Pavement

In a startling (yet unfortunately not uncommon) news story this week, a toddler in a pushchair was killed by a yummy mummy driving a 4x4 on the school run when she mounted the curb outside the school gates.

According to the article, "Fifteen-month-old Finlay Woods was out with his mother and grandmother when the black Toyota 4x4 crashed into his buggy, outside Selwyn junior and infant school in Chingford, north-east London, while parents gathered their children from school."

Parents tried in vain to lift the vehicle off the child, while others shielded school pupils from the distressing scene.

Witness Lee Rivers said: "I was one of about 15 people who tried to lift the car up to get the pushchair out from under it. But it was too heavy because it was a big 4x4."

Flowers were laid outside the school yesterday next to a smashed pillar and railings mangled in the crash. The mother was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, and driving while under the influence of drink or drugs.

Public Says Car Makers Must Go Green

The results of an opinion poll out today show an overwhelming 87 per cent of people in the UK think measures to force car manufacturers to make smarter cars that use 25 per cent less fuel should be introduced urgently.

Two-thirds of respondents thought that requiring car manufacturers to reduce the fuel consumption of their vehicles by a quarter would boost the UK economy - because people would spend less money on fuel and so have more to spend on other things.

And the poll shows there is a clear public appetite for green motoring - over half of those questioned saying that apart from cost, fuel consumption was the most important factor in choosing a new or second hand car - ahead of safety and comfort.

The TNS poll, commissioned by Friends of the Earth Europe questioned a total of 4885 people in the UK, Germany, Spain, France and Italy. The results come days before key MEP votes in the European Parliament which will be critical in determining future emissions standards for new cars.

Reducing the fuel consumption of cars sold in the EU by 25 per cent would cut average carbon dioxide emissions from new cars to approximately 120g CO2/km, the 2012 target that we have been pushing for at the Alliance.

These survey results mirror what people have told us on the streets: they are horrified by how much they have to spend on petrol and agree that they would be willing to pay more for a more fuel efficient car.

Consumers urgently need our MEPs and UK ministers to have some guts and push for stringent carbon dioxide targets.

The polling included male and females from all age groups and a range of backgrounds. 984 people were questioned in the UK. The results showed that:

• 66 per cent of UK respondents thought that requiring car manufacturers to reduce the fuel consumption of their vehicles by a quarter would boost the UK economy - because people would spend less money on fuel and so have more to spend on other things.
• 58 per cent of UK respondents said that apart from cost, fuel consumption was the most important factor in choosing a new or second hand car - ahead of safety (34 per cent) and comfort (18 per cent).

According to Friends of the Earth's Senior Transport Campaigner Tony Bosworth, "The message has come across loud and clear: people want car makers to produce cleaner, smarter cars that use less fuel, reduce climate change emissions and slash fuel bills.

"Politicians must act on public demand by standing up to the self-interested lobbying of the car industry and delivering the tough standards that people clearly want".

MEPs need to hear from the public right nw, as there are 2 crucial votes in the EU in the next 2 weeks. Go to our new action website www.forlesspollutingcars.com and send an email to the crucial UK MEPs.

Chelsea Tractors Worth More as Scrap Metal

Rising fuel prices are helping to secure the fate of 4x4s as a hugely undesirable car for the future.

A recent article in the Daily Mail reported that car dealers are refusing to take gas-guzzling 4x4s as a trade in towards new car purchases as the values for secondhand cars fall.

According to the article, 'There is no appetite at present for thirsty 4x4s that would typically cost £100 or more to fill up with petrol as fuel prices continue to soar, and become liable for more than £450 a year in vehicle excise duty by 2010 for models currently two years old.'

As the chart above shows, second-hand prices are expected to fall by 12% by Christmas.

'The one bright spark was with 'green' or alternatively-fueled vehicles, where sales rose 19.4 per cent last month.'

Damon Hill and the New Tesla Sportscar

Today I caught up with Damon Hill as he was driving a black Tesla Roadster around London for the Greenfleet fuel challenge. The model is based on the Lotus Elise, and is in fact assembled by Lotus for Tesla in the UK.

Q: Good morning Damon. Can you tell us a bit about the Tesla, and what you think about it so far?

DH: Well, it's a sports car. It's designed on the model of a small sports car, so I think they're [Tesla] trying to say that, just because it's got an electric motor doesn't mean it can't be fun. I think that's very important to explain to people that this isn't some sort of puritanical kind of attempt to spoil everyone's enjoyment of the car....because those people love cars in their various forms, but we have to be able to make them accept the challenge that we need to try to make the world a better place and pollute less.

Q: Right. And how about performance?

DH: Well so far so good. I haven't really had a chance to take it out yet. I'm going to be driving around London as well, so the objective here is to see how efficient it is here, certainly on an urban cycle.

Q: Just practically, it gets 250 miles per charge, takes 3 hours to charge up, 0-60 in 4 seconds. How's that compare to, like a Porsche Carrera or something?

DH: I think you've probably got a ways to go as far as comparing performance to those sort of cars, but you could also ask, well, why do we need cars that perform like that on the road. I mean, the whole thing is an issue, and it's a question and I think by and large, it's pointless having a vehicle that can do 200 miles an hour if you're going to drive from Newham to London.

Q: So it's a nice way to..say your a business executive or a trader, you can still have a fun car but still, you know, flash around London

DH: I think it's about trying to be intelligent about it. I mean I don't think anyone wants to spoil anyone's fun, but we have to be a bit more intelligent I think about things because the message is quite clear that we can't keep on going like this.

For anyone interested, special edition models are still available for £79k

Mundo Launch a Success

Last Friday we launched Mundo Cars in the UK. The Alliance is encouraging MEPs and MPs to get involved.

Jean Lambert MEP came and gave a great speech, and even helped us push for new fuel efficient cars.

According to Jean, "Londoners are forced to live with poor air quality on a daily basis and suffer the health effects of road transport pollution. Enough is enough. There is no place for highly polluting cars in London where air quality consistently fails basic EU standards."

"I encourage citizens and politicians to support this campaign for stricter fuel efficiency standards. The car industry should be making use of the full range of technology to make cleaner cars and the Government must support this change by introducing tough targets and penalties for those unwilling to reform."

The car industry is actively blocking meaningful regulations that would make vehicles significantly less costly to run, and that is hurting everyone while oil prices soar. The recent King Review pointed to the fact that although the technology is now available to produce more fuel efficient cars, manufacturers are by and large not doing so.

With fuel prices ever escalating, there is both an economic and an environmental necessity for cleaner cars. For our launch film we interviewed people who were filling their tanks up at fuel stations. They were horrified about how much they have to spend on petrol and all agreed that they would be willing to pay more for a more fuel-efficient car if they would then pay less for fuel. The public are ready for the cars of the future – now the EU and UK Governments must push for stringent CO2 targets.

We are encouraging car manufacturers to think big and be bold – and only when the EU and the UK Government push for stringent fuel efficiency targets will this happen in a creative and radical way.

Mundo Cars is already attracting political support from other MEPs.

Green MEP Caroline Lucas said: “The point is it’s not rocket science. Some cars have the ability to meet the 120g/km standard now so the technology does exist. That’s why the Mundo Cars campaign is so important. It demonstrates what the car of the future could be like. I think it’s an inspiring idea and an inspiring campaign. I urge people to get involved and be part of the solution.”

Robert Evans Labour MEP said, “The time for action on climate change is now. We cannot wait any longer for the effects to be seen across the world and so I urge everyone, public and politicians alike, to support strong targets on C02 emissions from cars. We must do more to discourage the highest carbon producing cars so that we can all tackle climate change before it is too late. Experts suggest the changes might be irreversible in just seven years time."

According to Fiona Hall, Lib Dem MEP, “some 19% of all Europe’s carbon emissions come from passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles. Absolute volumes are increasing because there are more cars being put on the road. The vehicles are heavier (up 15% in the past decade) and more powerful (up 28%) even though speed limits have not risen anywhere in Europe. We now need to set mandatory requirements to make a difference. I recently argued that the Commission's proposals did not go far enough and that the regulation should push for average fleet emissions of 120 g/km by 2012 achieved by vehicle improvements alone. Such targets would only be achievable with consequent penalties, which would put pressure on the manufacturers.”

Claude Moraes MEP said “We [Labour MEPs] believe that the car industry has had a long time to clean up its act and while progress has been made it has not been sufficient. Time has come for strict mandatory targets to be put in place as soon as possible.”

The automobile designers are the captains of the ship, not the consumers as they so often suggest. The industry signals the intention and the direction for the car market by their designs. To date they have been designing highly polluting and consuming vehicles. But times are rapidly changing, and we need a whole new evolution in the approach to making and powering a car, and that needs a heroic effort.

Help Mundo push for fuel efficient cars. Join the campaign.

Get Lost Porsche - Make Room for the New Sports Cars

Move over Porsche.

The futuristic sports cars for the 21st Century are being developed by Tesla, RiverSimple, and now, the Lightning Motor Company.

According to reports, "the Electric Lightning GT appears to have everything an ecoconscious lover of British sports cars could want: a luxury interior, a top speed of 130mph and acceleration that would put a Porsche to shame." The Lightning GT will accelerate from 0-60mph in four seconds and will be able to travel up to 200 miles on a single battery charge.

They replaced the fuel tank, engine and transmission system found in standard vehicles with an electric motor inside each wheel. There is no gear stick, axle or drive shaft. "All of the power is generated at the wheel, the point at which it's required, which eliminates mechanical complexity and power losses experienced in standard sports cars," the company says.

The new prototype car will be unveiled at the British Motor Show in July.

Is the Car Industry Headed in the Right Direction?

I came across an interesting article by Iain Carson in the Guardian. He argues that "manufacturers will only deliver improvements when they are forced to."

Giving us a brief history lesson, he cites that "One hundred years ago this October Henry Ford's Model T launched the mass motor industry. Simple and rugged enough for country tracks, it was also the world's first flex-fuel vehicle. Its engine could runon petrol or ethanol; Ford thought that farmers might prefer to make their own fuel from corn. In fact it was already as economical with either fuel as the average American car today."

"Until the Model T, nine out of 10 cars were electric. Gasoline-powered vehicles came to dominate as oil was found in Texas, and the battery-powered starter motor made internal combustion cars easier and safer to start, without dangerous backfires. Now the car industry looks set for another revolution."

"The most hopeful sign across the board is that the car industry, led by Toyota, has realised that it is in its own interest to develop alternative technologies that really work to cut carbon emissions. Toyota has sold a million of its conventional petrol-electric hybrid cars, and other manufacturers are piling in with their versions. GM [recently] reaffirmed bringing to market its Volt plug-in hybrid in 2010 - and said it might ditch its gas-guzzling Hummers."

"The Volt is an example of the latest twist in the hybrid - it can be plugged into the mains overnight, and equipped with a battery that can provide a range greater than 30 miles; the petrol engine is only a stand-by if the battery runs down. Battery-powered vehicles, even if the electricity comes from coal-fired power stations, are more energy efficient than internal combustion engines; if the electricity comes from nuclear or renewables, there is no carbon emission at all."

"Beyond the plug-in hybrid or battery-only car being developed by Renault and others, there is the fuel-cell electric vehicle, running on hydrogen and emitting only water vapour from its exhaust pipe. Makers such as Toyota, Honda and Mercedes believe that the car of the future will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells within 20 years, and costs are coming down as parts suppliers develop mass production techniques."

"Oil and energy companies are working with Mercedes and others to create a "hydrogen highway" carving through Germany from north to south. The European commission and the German government are putting about a billion euros into developing the network. Even if making hydrogen consumes electricity, the fuel cell is still more efficient than internal combustion engines."

"No one can be sure if electric cars, biofuels or hydrogen power are the answer to cutting emissions. What seems to be happening is that these different technologies are competing with each other to improve the carbon footprint of road transport. The tougher the rules, the harder car companies will work to find alternatives. And high petrol prices are already changing US motorists: in March they drove about 10% less than a year earlier, and sales of gas-guzzling SUVs have tumbled. Meanwhile, even if oil eases back to around $100 a barrel, the days of cheap motoring are over."

Alliance Wins Legal Challenge: Car Billboard Ads to Show Climate Impact

Car adverts on billboards and in magazines will now be emblazoned with the car’s climate impacts, after the Government yesterday agreed to change its advertising guidelines in response to the threat of legal proceedings by the Alliance Against Urban 4x4s.

The fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of vehicle will now have to be prominently displayed, arming consumers with the information they need to choose a greener vehicle – and one that needs to be filled up with fuel less often.

The Department for Transport admitted that it had been wrongly interpreting an EU Directive on car advertising, which says that fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions information must be prominently provided in all promotional literature. The Government has until now exempted ‘primarily graphical’ adverts from the law with the effect that most billboard adverts did not include information about the car’s carbon dioxide emissions.

The announcement came in response to a legal letter to the Department for Transport from Friends of the Earth’s Rights & Justice Centre acting for the Alliance Against Urban 4x4s. We wrote to the DfT in March to point out that the UK wasn’t abiding with EU law and warned the Government that they would issue Judicial Review proceedings if the guidance was not changed.

From now on, it won’t be enough to woo consumers with a sleek and sexy image of a car in billboard ads – car advertisers will need to give real and readable facts about the car’s fuel economy and environmental impact. With rising fuel costs and a growing awareness about climate change, this information is crucially important for people to make greener and cheaper choices of vehicle.

In order to cut emissions from cars, we need both strong regulation on advertising and also strong regulation that forces car manufacturers to make more efficient cars. Today’s change in the advertising rules will help encourage car-makers to build more efficient vehicles, something they have so far been very slow to do.

Phil Michaels, Head of Legal at Friends of the Earth said:
“Until now allowed the UK was getting away with flouting EU legislation on car advertising – but our legal action has closed the loophole.

“Consumers have a right to meaningful information about how much carbon dioxide a car emits and how much fuel it guzzles, so they can choose to buy a car that will be greener and cheaper to run. We will be watching carefully to make sure that the law is now properly enforced.”

See the cars and CO2 campaign website here: http://www.advertiseCO2.co.uk

MORI Poll Says No Backdown on Higher Fuel Duty and VED

The recent economic downturn has been the trigger for the first wave of stories prophesying the end of the environmental agenda, according to the Green Alliance.

We have been hearing about hauliers protests and new petitions by motorists calling for scrapping the fuel duty and cancelling the increases in VED.

According to the Green Alliance, "the media analysis of these issues has been based on flimsy evidence. The public is not in denial, and doesn't want leaders to ignore these issues. MORI polling backs this up, showing that concern for environmental issues is actually still remarkably high."

They continue: "People are anxious about the economy and the impact of rising fuel, energy, and food prices."

"The challenge for politicians and the environmental community is to develop a positive policy agenda that addresses public anxieties, and reminds us all that the current economic turbulence is only a tremor by comparison to the disruptions that we face if we fail to prevent climate change."

"As Peter Ainsworth, shadow environment secretary, said recently in the Financial Times: “The idea that green issues evaporate at the first touch of economic hardship betrays a misunderstanding of the environmental agenda. The necessity to build a sustainable economy is not just a ‘green issue’. It is just as much an economic one; business as usual is clearly unsustainable in the long term.”

New Health Warnings on Car Ads

Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies and the EU Environmental Committee have started a move that may see 20% of all car ads covered with health warnings similar to the one pictured.

According to Mr. Davies, "I want to encourage a shift in consumer behaviour which will communicate to car manufacturers in a financial way that it's in their interests to reduce emissions. Manufacturers of high emission cars hate this idea."

Londoners can attest to the anger of car manufacturers when they hate an idea; Porsche recently ran an all out PR battle to have Ken Livingstone defeated when he threatened to charge their beloved gas guzzlers up to £25 per day.

Promotional material including magazines, newspapers and billboards posters for new cars must currently include CO2 and fuel consumption information, although many car manufacturers fail to comply. The European Commission is now being urged not only to enforce the existing regulations but also to extend the rules to cover television, radio and internet.

Manufacturers' Claims on CO2 Emissions Inaccurate

We came across two interesting articles in the national press. Lewis Smith argues in The Times that the emissions data that consumers rely on to make more environmentally sound choices is usually completely inaccurate. Car companies are accused of jumping on the “eco” bandwagon to make their brand seem greener, even though the figures don’t back them up.

The article refers to independent testing by Auto Express magazine. When they tested the CO2 emissions for some 'relatively green' cars, such as the Polo Blue Motion, they found a discrepancy between figures supplied by the car makers and theirs done in real world conditions.

We feel that the article doesn’t mention the comparative point – if a Honda Civic is “advertised” to put out 109g/km of CO2 and “actually” puts out 171, then where does that leave our friend the Porsche Cayenne? Using the same maths, its claimed output of 358g/km becomes a sky-high 562. Just because so-called “green” cars are getting a bad press doesn’t suddenly make hugely inefficient gas guzzling cars less of a problem. In fact, we should all be worried.

The article reinforces the fact that most emissions and efficiency data is calculated by the manufacturers themselves, usually in completely abnormal conditions, so is both biased and effectively useless. What’s needed is a truly independent method of testing new cars, as trustworthy from the consumer’s point of view as the Euro NCAP safety ratings.

Labeling of CO2 emissions also comes into Peter Popham’s article in The Independent. He notes that the Europe-wide breaches of the 1999 EU Directive on car advertising have resulted in the EU preparing to introduce tougher new rules regarding the display of emissions data. He even suggests that cars will soon go the way of cigarettes and alcohol, and making them look “desirable” may be frowned upon.

This is an area the Alliance has been pushing on recently, through the AdvertiseCO2 website, and it looks like we can expect more details about what happens next at the start of June.

Neither Porsche Nor Boris Can Drive Away from Global Warming

Reprinted from an article in the New Statesman by Tony Bosworth at Friends of the Earth:

"The mayoral candidates need to consider global warming when discussing the congestion and emission charges.

Car ads sell us a particularly seductive modern day fantasy. We are promised open roads cutting through sweeping panoramic landscapes, speed, freedom, and excitement.

But for those of us who find ourselves inching along in snarled up traffic, the lack of speed isn’t the only difference between the dream and the reality of modern day motoring. Road transport accounts for about a fifth of the UK’s carbon emissions – and research shows using greener cars could be the fastest way to slash this. Therefore moves by national and local government to encourage drivers to use smarter cars – such as the Mayor of London’s proposal to increase the congestion charge to £25 for gas-guzzlers - are welcome.

Ken Livingstone’s proposal has infuriated Porsche, which has launched a legal challenge against what it brands a ‘disproportionate’ measure. Of the 53 types of car that Porsche sells in the UK, 51 would pay the higher charge. In a document seen by the Daily Telegraph, the car manufacturer estimates its sales would fall by 11 per cent if the higher charge came in.

The London congestion charge isn’t the only climate-changing initiative that Porsche opposes. Along with the rest of the car industry, Porsche - which boasts of “protecting the environment to the highest degree” - is fighting new targets to reduce pollution from new vehicles by increasing their fuel efficiency. Could the bottom line be concentrating their minds?

Of course, if Ken doesn’t get elected as Mayor of London on 1 May then Porsche’s London legal challenge will vanish into thin air. Both Boris Johnson and Brian Paddick would drop the proposed gas-guzzler charge.

It’s telling, though, that neither of them would abolish the congestion charge in the original central London zone, pledging only to reopen consultation on the more recent extension into west London. Boris’s promise to look at introducing a flexible pricing system to target the worst congestion seems sensible – until you consider that many of the capital’s top congestion hot-spots are actually in outer London.

Brian Paddick’s plan to introduce a London-wide charge for all cars entering London from outside the city are certainly ambitious, but it would need top notch monitoring technology and drastic negotiations with train and bus operators to ensure the infrastructure is in place to shuttle a high volume of incomers into the capital and out again.

The Lib Dem and Tory candidates have also pledged to re-phase traffic lights to get traffic moving faster – a move which neither takes account of those of us trying to cross the road on foot nor tackles the central problem of the sheer volume of traffic on London’s roads.

The congestion charge is not perfect, but it’s a vital tool that, now it is in place, can be fine tuned and perfected in time. And it is crucial in sending the message to the rest of the world that global warming is not something any of us can simply drive away from in a cloud of dust."

Dinosaur Hunt Leads Team to a Petrified Porsche

Today, campaigners from the Alliance Against Urban 4x4s led a dinosaur hunt through Berkeley Square to the Porsche dealership in Mayfair, exposing Porsche as a dinosaur company petrified by a changing climate. Unless Porsche adapts their business model they will become extinct.

Adorned in pith helmets and hiking boots, equipped with binoculars and dinosaur field guides, campaigners lead members of the public to seek out those last remaining urban dinosaurs, relics like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Porsche 911 GT2 and other prehistoric Porsche species. Their banner read: Petrified Porsche – Stop Being a Dinosaur: Adapt or Become Extinct, while placards asked passers by to spot the difference between an Anchiceratops and a Porschus Carbonosaurus.

Porsche forced themselves into the limelight in the UK by legally challenging the latest congestion charge plans. According to their legal papers they will be representing all band G car owners. However, preserving sales are blatantly Porsche's main, perhaps only concern. 44 of the 45 cars they produce are in Band G, and when the £25 congestion charge is introduced in October, Porsche expect sales to plummet by 11%.

Londoners aren't the only one's to feel the brunt of Porsche's position as a carbon dinosaur.

Porsche are also fighting any attempts towards meaningful and binding emissions reductions by seriously undermining the EU CO2 regulations. According to Citigroup Global Markets, "Porsche faces huge financial penalties if the EU's demands are not watered down. Porsche would need to improve its fleet average fuel consumption from 20 mpg to close to 40 mpg by 2012, to avoid fines of more than $736 million by 2016". To do this they would have to cut an eye watering average of 138gm/km CO2 per car in order to meet the current target of 120 gm/kmCO2 by 2012.

To amplify how ill prepared Porsche is for change, Herbert Ampfere, Porsche's manager for energy and environment, said that the new EU rules on CO2 could lead to the company's demise.

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo is one of the most polluting 4x4s on the market, emitting an extraordinary 358g of CO2 per kilometer. Its peculiar design is a prehistoric spectacle of both enormous power and weight. A Porsche Cayenne Turbo can travel up to 171 miles per hour, but in London you're more likely to be crawling along at 5 miles per hour in traffic rather than burning the tarmac like Porsche's ads might suggest.

Recently the Telegraph wrote "that 2008 is likely to go down as the year when even the most die-hard petrol-head realised that there will be no U-turn in the drive to abolish gas-guzzlers and develop more fuel-efficient cars. In the UK, Porsche's legal battle with London Mayor Ken Livingstone and the Chancellor's Budget measures to penalise thirsty cars may come to be seen as tipping points in officialdom's crackdown on the biggest emitters of C02. It's a situation being replicated around the world."

We expect to see a public backlash, and Porsche will suffer even more in its PR faux pas. Londoners feel that they, not Porsche, should decide whether or not to proceed with the CO2 charge on gas guzzling vehicles. To illustrate this point, some of the signatories on our petition against the Porsche legal challenge have included hefty comments such as the one below:

Mr. Robinson from NW11 writes: "I am disgusted by Porsche's attempts to prevent the imposition of a congestion charge on polluting cars in London. Porsche's stance looks both irresponsible and arrogant. And it is appalling PR. Even if the company choose not to support the ban by being so vocal in opposition they ally themselves with the past and not the future…Porsche are ensuring that they are seen to be irresponsible."

We feel that more actions are needed to challenge fossilized manufacturers, like Porsche, who are either oblivious like dodos or showing their teeth like velociraptors rather than clean up their vehicle fleets. Their engineering teams are perfectly able to make cars that don't create the excessive amounts of emissions of band G cars, yet that is where most have traditionally profited. With this new C Charge helping to change people's buying habits, the pressure is now on manufacturers like Porsche to produce and advertise cleaner cars for their customers.

With today's action we have focused the attention on a real dinosaur. We know Londoners will be watching to see if or how well Porsche can respond to the pressures for change.

Facts about Porsche

• Last year, Porsche also challenged the EU Commission as they drew up plans to set tough CO2 targets for the car industry. Porsche, who would be most affected by the new EU regulations, would need to cut an eye watering average of 138gm/km CO2 per car in order to meet the current target of 120 gm/kmCO2 by 2012.

• Porsche, as a member of ACEA have also lobbied for delays and weakening of years of European pollutant emissions standards for cars (Euro standards).

• In the USA, Porsche exerted their influence to weaken new CAFE standards in summer 2007. Porsche arranged for a Senator to offer an exemption ('application of an alternative average fuel economy standard') for small auto companies, and argued that as a low volume manufacturer, they couldn't meet 35 miles per gallon, requiring a weaker standard. The move was defeated.

• Porsche only produce gas guzzling and high-carbon emitting sports cars and SUV's. 44 out of 45 Porsche vehicles fall in Band G, the other in band F. The Cayenne Turbo is one of the most polluting 4x4s, with 378gCO2/km - that's nearly four times the level of the low emission VW Polo Blue Motion.

• The plain truth is - Porsche are at the top of the European league table as the most polluting
carmaker.

Porsche Makes a Public Apology to Londoners!

Today, in a breathtaking turnaround, the German sports car maker Porsche made a startling public apology to Londoners, and Mayor Ken Livingstone's Office!

According to Managing Director Andy Goss, Porsche apologized:

“For being so pigheaded in pushing for a judicial review of the recent changes in the congestion charge. A bit rash we know! Sorry. But now that we think about it, the change does actually seem quite a good idea.”

He continued, “And ok, you’ve got us. With a few of our mates, we have been doing our best to railroad EU plans to set binding emissions targets for gas guzzlers by 2012. Can’t blame us for having a go though can you? Ok, so you can. But look, we know it’s wrong”.

Finally, he added, “Oh, and last, but by no means least, we should stop claiming we’re ‘green’ while making incredibly polluting cars. So we’re pleased to announce a new concept model, taking the 4x4 into the 2x2 age.”

Wow. We're still a bit caught off guard here at the Alliance, but this goes to show that miracles do happen, even in the 21st century.

If anyone wants to thank Porsche directly for their tremendously courageous turnaround, they can be contacted by email at customer.assistance@porsche.co.uk or by telephone: +44 8457 911 911

new Video: Do You Really Need a 4x4?

Mayor and TfL Prepared to Fight Porsche in Courts

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone and Transport for London (TfL) rejected a demand by luxury and sports car manufacturer Porsche to scrap plans for a higher £25 Congestion Charge for the very highest CO2 emitting cars, including many of the so-called Chelsea Tractors, the most powerful sports cars and some luxury executive cars, as part of the capital's plans to tackle climate change and cut congestion.

Ken Livingstone said: "Porsche have a clear vested interest in attempting to block this ground breaking scheme, against the interests of Londoners as a whole. They should focus their attentions on cutting CO2 emissions from the cars they produce, rather than pursuing this pointless legal action which we will vigorously contest. We have already seen several motor manufacturers rise to the challenge of cutting CO2 emissions from their cars and Porsche should join them.

Michèle Dix, Managing Director of Planning, TfL, said: "The Congestion Charge scheme has been a success at cutting congestion and traffic, with around 70,000 less vehicles a day entering the original central zone. Without it congestion in central London would be far worse.

"The principal aim of the scheme remains tackling congestion. The aim of the CO2 Charge element and discount of the scheme is to cut CO2 emissions by reducing the number of very high emitting cars driving in central London, influencing people's car purchasing choices and by stimulating the market for low emissions cars.

"At the moment, 17 per cent of cars driving in the charge zone are in Band G, while just 2 per cent are in Band's A and B. We expect to see the number of Band G cars cut significantly over time."

Specifically setting out to Porsche why their objections are unfounded, the Mayor and TfL made clear that:

· The CO2 Charge is about reducing CO2 emissions from cars driving in central London, whilst reducing congestion, as part of the Mayor's Transport Strategy and Climate Change Action Plan; and

· It is quite clear motorists have the choice not to drive a high CO2 emitting, car in central London, given the wide range of lower emitting cars available. Along with the higher £25 Charge for the cars emitting the most CO2, there will be a 100% discount for the least emitting.

It's a KO! - Watch as FoE Pounces on Porsche

Last week Porsche said it intended to judicially challenge the Mayor of London's plans to increase the London congestion charge to £25 for gas guzzlers.

Watch the Sky News Interview as Tony Juniper, Executive Director for Friends of the Earth, takes on Andy Goss, Managing Director of Porsche UK in Mayfair. (video in the toolbar)

The result is quite entertaining. Dance like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

EU Should Ban Inefficient Cars

Ahhh. It's music to our ears. The sweet sound of common sense from a businessman. Finally.

Today, BBC news reported the ex-Chairman of Shell felt the EU really ought to ban inefficient cars (cars that get below 35 miles per gallon), and he believes industry will follow stricter environmental guidelines.

"Nobody needs a car that does 10-15 mpg (miles per gallon, 19-28 litres per 100 kilometres)," Mark Moody-Stuart was quoted as saying.

According to Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, "We need very tough regulation saying that you can't drive or build something less than a certain standard. You would be allowed to drive an Aston Martin - but only if it did 50-60mpg."

He continues, "When we eliminated coal fires in London we didn't say to people in Chelsea you can pay a bit more and toast your crumpets in front of an open fire - we said nobody, but nobody, could have an open fire.

"When we introduced catalytic converters the car-makers said it would put the price of cars through the roof - but it didn't. Now we all have to have catalytic converters - that's only right."

"Government's job is to set the framework in which industry can compete," he added. "The market is a magical thing - it will meet people's convenience but it needs guiding."

He said the EU was far too lax with motor manufacturers.

Sir Mark sums it up in his BBC Green Room opinion piece: "You can buy the roomiest, vroomiest car, as long as it meets the efficiency standard."

"My wife and I have driven a hybrid since 2001 and it is a beautiful and comfortable piece of engineering, silent and will do 100mph (we tried it, but not in England!)."

"That may not be the best technology - the market will find out. But we must constrain the market in an efficiency framework."

"To achieve the same through taxation would mean fuel taxes at levels which would play havoc with industry, countryside dwellers and the poor who need transport."

Now - it takes 2 to dance. Will the ministers listen?

Jeep is Misleading Buyers with Green 4x4 Adverts

Greenwash Alert: Jeep (Chrysler UK) is actively misleading consumers with their new advertisements for their 'green 4x4 range of the year'.

The new ads claims that the jeeps pictured are from the 'green' 4x4 range of the year. However, if you scrutinize the small text at the bottom, nowhere is the claim substantiated. Hmm... There is a tiny golden logo with a 'shimmer' on it, which is not easily legible by people with normal eyesite - on very close inspection it says 'Green 4x4 Award Gold Award'. Further research by the Alliance revealed that the 'award' was given by 4x4 and MPV driver magazine - a magazine in the business of promoting 4x4s!

While the ad claims that the four jeeps pictured are from the 'Green 4x4 range of the year', the award was only given to the Patriot model.

Let's get an unbiased look at the Jeep claims from the government's perspective. Looking in the Act on CO2 website by the DfT, which is updated by the car industry, the Jeep Patriot does not appear as the most efficient model. Go on, you can try it yourself. Look under small 4x4, manual gearbox and diesel engine.

Anyways, according to our friend John over at Honda, 'The emissions of the CR-V diesel are 173 g/km compared to the 177g/km of the 'cleanest' Jeep 4x4.'

Finally, the ad states that the jeeps emit from 170g of CO2 per km to 381g of CO2 per kilometer - the latter figure is well into band G (and the top of the worst band at that) of emissions. And, if you figure that any diesel vehicle pumps out tons of NOx and other air pollutants at a level 3-15x that of a normal petrol engine, then you can bet these aren't GREEN vehicles at all.

This is clearly misleading advertising, and using green, unsubstantiated claims. If you see the ad yourself, why not lodge a complaint to the ASA your self? It's easy and it's fun.