POPULAR WORDS

November 23, 2009

New light commercial vehicles in Australia are releasing 27 percent more carbon emissions into the atmosphere compared to their European counterparts, a new study from the National Transport Commission (NTC) shows.

This is despite a reduction in emissions of 12 percent to 222g/km since 2002, the report says.

NTC General Manager for Safety and the Environment Tim Eaton says the gap between Europe and Australia in carbon emissions from light commercial vehicles demonstrates that more needs to be done.

“Light vehicle carbon emissions account for 10 percent of emissions in Australia and reducing these is going to be an important part of the nation’s response to climate change,” Eaton says.

“This highlights an important opportunity for industry, governments and the community to make better decisions around light vehicle purchasing and develop policy responses to this challenge.”

The report follows a decision by the Council of Australian Governments to task the Federal Government with developing a regulatory impact statement on the merits of introducing CO2 emission standards for light vehicles.

The NTC says the data from its report will provide an important input into the Federal Government’s work.