The World Briefly

November 01, 2022

Farewell, Little Engine

European Union

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The European Union reached a deal this week to in effect ban the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles from 2035 in an effort to speed up the switch to electric cars and combat climate change, Reuters reported.

Specifically, the bloc agreed that car manufacturers must reach a 100 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2035. This will make it impossible for carmakers to sell new petrol- and diesel-fueled cars in the 27-nation bloc.

The deal also includes a 55 percent cut in CO2 emissions from 2021 levels for new cars sold from 2030 onwards. New vans must also abide by a 50 percent cut in CO2 by 2030 compared with 2021 levels, and a 100 percent CO2 cut by 2035.

Meanwhile, smaller carmakers – those producing fewer than 10,000 vehicles – can negotiate lower targets until 2036, when they would face the zero-emission requirement.

The ambitious bill is part of a broader package of new EU policies aimed at meeting the bloc’s targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans noted that the deal would send a strong signal to industry and consumers, according to CNBC.

Amid pressure from regulators to decrease their carbon footprint, many car companies have announced investments in building electric vehicles.

Even so, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, a car industry group, warned against prohibiting a specific technology, and called for internal combustion engines and hydrogen vehicles to play a role in the low-carbon transition.

This story originally appeared in the November 01, 2022 newsletter, A Furry Election.