Australia needs to introduce world-class fuel efficiency standards commencing in 2024 if it is to have any chance of meeting its target of net-zero emissions by 2050, a new report finds.
Today’s new study from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) is the latest in a chorus of calls for the Albanese government to implement a strong Fuel Efficiency Standard to clean up vehicle emissions.
“The rubber is really hitting the road for the Australian government, as calls to significantly scale up Australia’s climate response by introducing strong fuel efficiency standards accelerate,” said Lindsay Soutar, Head of Electrify Campaign at Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
“After ten years of inaction under the previous Morrison government, there is a lot of catching up to do. Without introducing world-class fuel efficiency standards, Australia will continue to lag behind the rest of the world, and fail to meet its target of net zero emissions by 2050.”
The report also highlights how woefully inadequate the current industry voluntary standards are.
“The car industry clearly cannot be trusted when it comes to regulating emissions from the vehicles it sells. The current voluntary standard would see the car market dominated by the sale of fossil fuel guzzling, pollution-belching petrol vehicles well into the 2050s
“As passenger cars and light commercial vehicles contribute approximately 12% of the country’s total emissions in 2021, we need to move with urgency to legislate strong standards.
“Strong fuel efficiency standards starting in 2024 will put us in the fast lane toward cheaper and more accessible electric vehicles for Australians, whilst tackling dirty climate pollution and cost of living pressures.
“While the world is racing ahead, in places like the European Union, the UK and the US, in the adoption of electric vehicles, in Australia this year only 3.4 percent of new vehicle sales were fully electric.”
Greenpeace is calling on the Australian government to urgently introduce strong fuel efficiency standards that put Australia on a trajectory to keep global warming to less than 1.5 degrees.
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