Skip to main content
The largest online newspaper archiveArchive Home
The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 21
A Publisher Extra® Newspaper

The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 21

Publication:
The Guardiani
Location:
London, Greater London, England
Issue Date:
Page:
21
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

The Guardian Thursday November 16 2000 21 Climate change What the world needs to know: can Americans kick the gas-guzzling habit before 1.2bn Chinese get hooked? PS "(takes ttlhie Dow iroadl all: car ecoDDommy Ibaatt John Gittings East Asia editor Cars invade the bicycle lane in a vain bid to keep moving in the congested Beijing rush hour Photograph: Mike Fiala Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles When it comes to polluting the atmosphere, the US rules the world, mainly because the car is king. There are 1.3 people per car in the US compared to 125 people per car in China, and the scope of the problem from the consequent emissions is proportionately as great. While some individual states have made serious efforts to deal with the problem, there has, to environmentalists, been a lack of effective leadership on the issue at government level. Green groups argue that the state has done little to check the proliferation of "gas-guzzlers" and could have done much more to encourage domestic and commercial energy savings. "Increasing the fuel efficiency of automobiles is the biggest single step that could be taken by the US government," said Dan Becker, Sierra Club spokesman on global warming.

"But this administration has done almost nothing to offend the automobile industry. We don't have time to spare. We have to act now." The Sierra Club and other environmentalists argue that there is a tool to achieve this goal in the form of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (Cafe) standards. Raising Cafe standards to 45 miles per gallon for cars and 34 mpg for trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) is what they seek. For the past decade, the standard has been set at 27.5 mpg for cars and 20.7 mpg for light trucks.

Particularly damaging to the environment are the SUVs heavily marketed in the US and the most fashionable vehicles to own which achieve just 13 mpg. Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors have successfully lobbied against changes in the Cafe standards; actions that the Sierra Club calls "They are not only damaging the environment and increasing the risk of a dangerous global warming, but their gas-guzzlers are also worsening America's trade deficit and exporting more money from US consumers into the bank accounts of multinational oil corporations." Some states have taken their own action. In Arizona, a clean air act came into force in April but it has been catastrophic for the state government. Grants and tax relief were given to motorists who switched from petrol-fuelled cars to propane powered vehicles. The move was meant to cost up to $10m (f 6.9m) a year.

Within six months the bill had reached $420m and could cost up to 10 of the annual stale budget of $6bn. Less dramatically, California has decided that by the year 2003 some 10 of all cars offered for sale in the state must emit little or no pollution. The states of New York, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont have voted to follow suit. The California Air Resources Boards. they regulate air pollution in the state and are key bodies in the battle for cleaner air in the US voted to impose the requirement last month.

The move was denounced by the automobile industry. Currently an electric-powered car would cost $20,000 more than a petrol-fuelled car to buy. But green pressure is having some effect. On October 18, seven companies committed themselves to voluntary cuts in releases of greenhouse gases; cutting by 2010 the companies' annual emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases by 15 of the 1990 figure. Environmentalists say this is a recognition that limits may soon be imposed by climate treaties.

The move also makes business sense as it attacks a wasteful use of energy. Chinese leaders object to lectures about environmental pollution from high-consumption nations such as the US when aquarter of China's population still lives on less than $laday. Until recently, Beijing said that while the environment was important China must "put development first" and should be allowed more leeway in tackling pollution. Now, increasingly alarmed by visible signs of global warming, the Chinese say they place "equal stress on development and But when economic interests are at stake will development really be throttled back for the sake of the environment? So far, in the critical case of the car industry, the answer remains ambiguous. Environmental arguments have to contend with a pro-car culture among provincial elites which has grown stronger during the past 20 years of economic reform.

New motorways are a symbol of that development even though they are seriously under-used largely because tolls are too high or slower-moving transport is banned. Most Chinese towns, even in rural areas, have been rebuilt with wide highways. The bicycle, once the symbol of Chinese self-sufficiency, is being pushed to the side of the road. China's official environmental website highlights the contradiction. One headline calls for a "new goal for automobile pollution the other says, "China must encourage the purchase of automobiles." By 2005, China hopes to meet European emission levels seen in the late-1990s.

By 2010, it hopes to catch up with international standards and that does not take into account rising vehicle numbers. Here the Chinese state plan- ning commission's policy is unambiguous: "The automobile industry is one of the five mainstays of China: the promotion of automobile purchase must be placed in first position." Beijing reassures itself by pointing out that there are only 15m vehicles in China, compared with 70m-plus in the US. But the comparison is incomplete without considering respective emission levels. More serious efforts are now being made to cut emission levels in the big cities which are most visibly affected by pollution Beijing has banned a fleet of mini-taxis while Chengdu has just staged China's first car-free day. Permissible emission levels have been lowered and, less specifically, the government is to "encourage" production and use of clean-fuelled vehicles.

The big question is whether these tougher rules will be Links www.enviroinfo.org.cn Environment information on China www.usembassy-china.org.cnUS Chinese embassy webpage www.ncar.ucar.edu The US National Centre for Atmospheric Research site www.sierraclub.org US green group site effective outside the main cities. The Beijing media has highlighted a campaign on the capital's outskirts to prevent "air-polluting vehicles" entering the city. Most offenders, it explained, "were coal-carrying trucks" hailing from neighbouring provinces and if the trucks avoid Beijing they will not be taken off the road. Economists want to increase private car ownership to stimulate consumption and boost the home-grown car industry. Domestic automobile output rose to 1.83m units last year from just 150,000 in 1978.

But with annual production capacity at 2.4m units, there is a strong incentive to fill the gap. At present, nearly two-thirds of vehicles are used commercially, including buses and trucks, while the 5.34m "private" cars usually belong to government bodies or firms. But real private ownership is looming for China's expanding middle class. There is intense competition to make economy cars around the magic price of 100,000 yuan (8,400) each. One in five urban families say they could and would afford such a car, prompting foreign carmakers to enter the fray: a process that will be helped along by China's entry into the World Trade Organisation.

Traffic chaos grips Times Square in New York. Despite better fuel-saving technology US motorists are buying bigger and thirstier 'gas-guzzlers' Photograph: Richard Drew vi'iji j'tv'ii iftf. biggest movies as often a fstartin every 15 minutes See your electrical retailer for details You pay for installation. You do not need to subscribe to Sky digital to get a free minidish and digibox. To take up the free mlnldlsh and dlglbox offer from Sky you must be eligible for and enter Into tho Interactive Discount Contract with Marketing Contributions Ltd (a BI8 Company).

Standard Installation Is 40 If you choose to subscribe lo Sky digital (or E100 If you don't). Additional charges may apply for non-atandard Installation. Installation may be subject to availability delay. Sky will select the make and model of equipment supplied under this offer. Offer not available In the Republic of Ireland.

Subscription: minimum subscilption 12 months. Sky Box Office movies are charged separately. Further terms and conditions apply. REF: BR01.

Get access to Newspapers.com

  • The largest online newspaper archive
  • 300+ newspapers from the 1700's - 2000's
  • Millions of additional pages added every month

Publisher Extra® Newspapers

  • Exclusive licensed content from premium publishers like the The Guardian
  • Archives through last month
  • Continually updated

About The Guardian Archive

Pages Available:
1,153,931
Years Available:
1821-2024