International Developments

Australia signs up to Kyoto Protocol

The first act of Australia's new Labour Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, was to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. The news, which was greeted with a standing ovation by delegates gathered at the climate change conference in Bali, leaves the United States as the only developed country not to have ratified the Kyoto treaty.

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France introduces feebates to encourage cleaner car purchase

The French Government has announced plans for the introduction of emissions-based 'feebates' to subsidise the purchase of low carbon vehicles while raising the tax on gas guzzlers. Purchasers of high carbon cars will pay an extra tax of up to €2,600 while 'greener' choices will mean a discount of up to €1,000. Meanwhile, Ireland is planning to adopt a new CO2-based purchase tax as well as a more steeply graduated emissions-based road tax system while Israel and Finland are also considering feebate-type schemes.

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Bali climate conference ends with progress on aims but no clear targets

The Bali conference on a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol concluded with opinions divided on whether the international meeting had made significant progress. Despite finding some common ground, the United States refused to agree to European proposals for specific CO2 targets and ended the conference looking increasingly isolated.

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US set to raise fuel economy standards for the first time in decades

The US House of Representatives has voted to increase required fleet average passenger vehicle fuel economy standards to 35mpg by 2020. The Corporate Average Fleet Economy (CAFE)standards will mandate an increase from today's fleetwide average of about 25mpg. The regulation will be the first meaningful law change to US fuel economy standards in 30 years.

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Policy Developments

Newcastle plans introduction of higher parking charges for gas guzzlers

Newcastle has become the latest council to propose the introduction of increased parking charges for high carbon vehicles in the city centre. The development follows moves to differentiate parking charges between high and low carbon vehicles in London and Manchester.

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MPs demand sector-by-sector CO2 targets

A cross-party group of MPs is calling for the Climate Change Bill to incorporate sectoral targets for the achievement of carbon dioxide emissions reductions. An Early Day Motion signed by over 50 MPs (by 17 Dec)says that sectoral targets are important in order to prevent each sector passing the responsibility for reducing emissions on to others.

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Mayor may drop plans to exempt low carbon cars from congestion charge

Ken Livingstone, the London Mayor, may not go ahead with earlier proposals to exempt low carbon cars from the London congestion charge according to a report in The Times newspaper.

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Climate Change News

UN issues 'state of climate' report in advance of crucial Bali meeting

The World could cut climate change emissions to a sustainable level by 2030 if it invested less than two-thirds of global military spending, or the equivalent of 1.6 percent of GDP. This is one of the conclusions of a 400-page report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) issued a week in advance of the major international conference on climate change to be held in Bali.

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Industry News

Stagecoach introduces biodiesel trial in Scotland

Bus and rail operator, Stagecoach, has begun a biofuel trial in Scotland. Stagecoach says it is using biodiesel from tallow and used cooking oil to avoid the criticisms recently levelled about the sustainability of some biofuels made from food products.

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Most auto executives think climate change is top issue for car industry

Nearly three-quarters of senior motor industry executives think that carbon dioxide emissions and climate change is now the single most important issue facing the automotive sector. The SMMT's Fifth Annual Issues Survey showed that senior executives think that tax incentives/fuel prices is the most important issue driving demand for both low carbon vehicles and fuels.

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Shell announces plans to make biodiesel from algae

Shell has announced plans to convert marine algae into biofuel in a joint venture with Hawaii-based HR Biopetroleum. A small research-scale plant will initially be built but Shell says it hopes to move to full scale production.

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Reports & Studies

Official figures greatly under-state UK's CO2 emissions - report

A report from economists at Oxford University concludes that while Britain has an impressive record in terms of its Kyoto Protocol target for greenhouse gas emissions, the country's performance is far worse when the calculations include emissions from aviation, shipping, overseas trade and tourism.

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WRI says improved fuel economy standards won't deliver fall in CO2 from cars

A report by the US-based World Resources Institute (WRI) says that the proposed new EU regulations and strengthened CAFE regulations in the US will not cut total CO2 emissions because car ownership and use will more than take up the benefits from improved vehicle efficiency.

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Technology News

BMW and Honda respond to hydrogen vehicle criticism

BMW and Honda say that they are still committed to the development of hydrogen-powered cars after a US expert suggested that hydrogen and fuel cells are not the way to go.

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Other News

Norman Baker is LibDems new transport spokesman

Norman Baker is the Liberal Democrats new transport spokesman as a result of the reshuffle following Nick Clegg's election as party leader. Steve Webb, who was in charge of the party's next election manifesto, is to be the Lib Dem's new environment spokesman.

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RAC Foundation report calls for more new roads to ease congestion

A report published by the RAC Foundation says that Britain needs investment in roads at a rate of about 600 lane kilometres a year and that the optimal balance of economic benefit would be achieved if this rate of building were combined with efficient road pricing. The research, by a team of transport academics, claims that new roads have little effect on climate change: freer-flowing conditions allied with improved vehicle technology should reduce total CO2 emissions, it says.

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Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) to recruit Chief Executive and Head of Carbon and Sustainability Reporting

The Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA), the new body which came into existence with the passing of the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) in October, is in the process of recruiting a Chief Executive and a Head of Carbon and Sustainability Reporting.

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D1 Oils calls on NGOs to end to 'generic condemnation' of biofuels

D1 Oils, the UK-based global producer of biodiesel, has issued a call to environmental and development NGOs to end their 'generic condemnation' of biofuels and to be more discerning in their criticism. The company says that attacks don't differentiate between the best biofuel crops, like jatropha, and less sustainable ones based on palm and soya.

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LowCVP News

LowCVP sends festive greetings and best wishes for a low carbon 2008

The LowCVP secretariat would like to wish all members, newsletter readers and website visitors a happy Christmas at the end of a year in which low carbon issues have risen inexorably up the agenda. If LowCVP newsletter stories are an indicator of the importance of road transport in that agenda - there have been 241 in 2007 compared with 176 in 2006, 138 in 2005 and 115 in 2004 - the rise is steep.

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