EU proposes CO2 fine on carmakers.........about time

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7151862.stm

EU proposes CO2 fine on carmakers

Passenger cars account for more than 10% of EU CO2 emissions
Carmakers that fail to meet carbon dioxide (CO2) emission limits by
2012 will face fines, the European Commission has proposed.

Penalties will start in 2012 at 20 euros ($28.80; £14.35) per gram of
carbon dioxide over a target, and will grow to 95 euros in 2015.

Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the EU was "committed"
to being a world leader in cutting CO2.

However, Germany's BMW and France's Peugeot criticised the move.

BMW said the proposals were "naive" steps that would distort the
market in favour of makers of smaller cars.

Peugeot said: "These plans are anti-ecological, anti-social, anti-
economical and anti-competitive in relation to non-European Union
carmakers."

Climate fight

The plan, which needs the backing of EU governments, would put the
burden on producers of larger and heavier cars to meet new binding
emission limits.

All carmakers that sell vehicles in the 27-nation bloc would face
fines if they exceed targets.

EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "Passenger cars
account for about 12% of overall EU carbon dioxide emissions and
emissions from transport are continually increasing.

"The aim of the legislation is to reduce CO2 emissions from cars in
order to help fight climate change."

Carmakers would have to cut average emissions of CO2 from new
passenger cars sold in the EU from about 160 grams per kilometre to an
average 130 grams per kilometre in 2012.

As part of the green drive parts and fuel-makers will be asked to make
improvements to gearboxes and air-conditioning systems, tyre-pressure
monitoring and encourage the use of more biofuels.

Makers of bigger cars can pool their total automobiles sold with other
car companies making lower-emitting cars to meet the average 130 gram
target.

"Jenny Talwart" wrote in message
...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7151862.stm

EU proposes CO2 fine on carmakers

Passenger cars account for more than 10% of EU CO2 emissions
Carmakers that fail to meet carbon dioxide (CO2) emission limits by
2012 will face fines, the European Commission has proposed.

-------8--------------------8-------------------

Yada, yada, blah, blah, blah

They won't be happy until we go back to living in caves again. I'm 50 years
old now and I honestly believe that I've seen the best and that the world is
now going to go backwards. When cars were invented, only the rich could
afford them. Then we have a period where most people who want one can get
one, and now, because of road pricing, the price of petrol and the green
lobby, once again it'll be only the rich who can afford them.

Same with travel. Only the rich could afford to travel. My granny and
grandad hardly had any holidays at all and my parents went slightly up the
ladder with their generation being able to afford a week in Blackpool twice
a year. My generation have progressed further and I've been lucky enough to
travel throughout europe but once again, travel will become something only
for the rich because of the environmental issues.

We all have computers and other electronic/electrical gadgets but because
producing electricity to run them causes CO2 emissions, we'll have blackouts
as power becomes too expensive and less available.

There is growing scientific evidence to show that "global warming" is just
the earth coming out of the last ice age but, even if it is proved that
mankind is the cause of it we can't just uninvent the 20th century. The
population keeps increasing and we (at least, in the developed world) are a
24-hour culture that needs to work at all hours, so the recent CO2 targets
are completely and utterly unreachable.

So many great discoveries and advances in medicine, science and all other
walks of life have taken place in my lifetime that I used to feel cheated
because my lifespan here on earth is limited. I used to wish I could live to
be 200 or 300 years old to see ever more great things and advances - but now
I don't care when I die because I truly believe we've reached a pinnacle and
it's all downhill from here. No more generation improving on generation,
just doom and gloom everywhere.

John

No more generation improving on generation, just doom and gloom everywhere.

John

........otherwise known as consumerism.....

"Jenny Talwart" wrote in message
...
No more generation improving on generation, just doom and gloom
everywhere.

John

.......otherwise known as consumerism.....

I prefer to call it evolution, betterment, or progression.

My parents had a coal fire in one room of the house and had to have a bath
in a tin bath in front of said fire. Luckily, times have changed and the
human race has progressed to a point where I have a plumbed-in bath, in a
purpose-built bath-room, and central heating that keeps the whole house warm
(with radiator thermostats so that rooms not used as often can be cooler [or
not heated at all] than those used frequently).

We have to keep moving forward and advancing the species but, as I said
earlier, the powers that be will only be happy when we're all back in caves
again.

John

On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:51:45 -0000, "John" wrote:

the human race has progressed to a point where I have a plumbed-in bath

Technology and/or wealth yes. The human race hasn't changed much.

"Tim C." wrote in message
...
On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:51:45 -0000, "John" wrote:

the human race has progressed to a point where I have a plumbed-in bath

Technology and/or wealth yes. The human race hasn't changed much.

OK, fair point, but you get the gist. Up to now, as a general thing,
generation has improved on generation - otherwise we wouldn't be watching
Time Team on telly, we would *be* it. But I truly believe things are now
going to go backwards, perhaps for the first time in history.

John

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:11:18 -0000, "John" wrote:


"Tim C." wrote in message
. ..
On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:51:45 -0000, "John" wrote:

the human race has progressed to a point where I have a plumbed-in bath

Technology and/or wealth yes. The human race hasn't changed much.

OK, fair point, but you get the gist. Up to now, as a general thing,
generation has improved on generation - otherwise we wouldn't be watching
Time Team on telly, we would *be* it. But I truly believe things are now
going to go backwards, perhaps for the first time in history.

That's more to do with your knowledge of history than anything.

I'll be the first one to admit that I'm not an all-seeing oracle and don't
know everything there is to know about history.

John

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:19:22 -0000, "John" wrote:


"Martin" wrote in message
. ..
On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:11:18 -0000, "John" wrote:


"Tim C." wrote in message
m...
On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:51:45 -0000, "John" wrote:

the human race has progressed to a point where I have a plumbed-in
bath

Technology and/or wealth yes. The human race hasn't changed much.

OK, fair point, but you get the gist. Up to now, as a general thing,
generation has improved on generation - otherwise we wouldn't be
watching
Time Team on telly, we would *be* it. But I truly believe things are now
going to go backwards, perhaps for the first time in history.

That's more to do with your knowledge of history than anything.

I'll be the first one to admit that I'm not an all-seeing oracle and don't
know everything there is to know about history.

At the end of the Roman Empire things went backwards for centuries.

Ah, right, didn't know that - or perhaps I did but it's been lost in the
mists of my past.

John

On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:11:18 -0000, "John" wrote:

But I truly believe things are now
going to go backwards, perhaps for the first time in history.


I tend to agree with you. We've been living on borrowed energy. Now
the baby-eating bishop of Bath and Wells is knocking at the door.

We have to keep moving forward and advancing the species but, as I said
earlier, the powers that be will only be happy when we're all back in caves
again.

John

unless you manage your resources correctly, nature will put you back
in a cave ;-)