Tories target polluting cars
David Cameron unveils new target to clean up cars
Monday, 24, Apr 2006 12:00
The Conservatives have today called for a tough target on cutting emissions from cars as part of their 'vote blue, go green' local election campaign.
Party leader David Cameron has recently switched his official car to a cleaner hybrid model, and is hoping to persuade other drivers in Britain to do the same.
Transport accounts for about 27 per cent of UK carbon emissions, and this is rising, but today the Tories pledged to cut average emission levels on all cars by 2030.
New cars currently emit an average of 170 grammes of carbon per kilometre, but the new target aims to cut this average to 100g/km by 2022, and to get the average for all cars down to this level by 2030.
Mr Cameron has now asked the Tories' quality of life policy group to look into incentives to switch to low-emission cars and how to encourage new fuel technologies.
He also wants to cut the number of people driving their children to school, with the introduction of American-style 'yellow buses'.
"The car has brought both personal freedom and economic improvement to this country. We want to see that continue in the future. But we also have to recognise the environmental impact of motoring," a party spokeswoman said.
She said the party has an "open mind" about the technologies used to enable this transition from high to low carbon producing vehicles, which could see the expansion of hybrid technology, as well as the greater use of biofuels.
Mr Cameron switched his own official car to a more eco-friendly alternative last week, although he has already come under fire for not choosing the greenest possible option.
He replaced his Vauxhall Omega for a hybrid engine Lexus, which emits about 184g/km, rather than opting for the Toyota Prius, which emits only 104g/km.
However, the Witney MP has insisted the Prius can only fit four people in it, and is not as good as the more luxurious Lexus for long journeys.
Today's launch is the latest attempt by the Tories to prove their green credentials, although Labour and the Liberal Democrats have insisted their efforts are little more than hot air.
There have also been questions about how relevant the issues of climate change and global warming are to voters ahead of the May 4th local elections – both the other parties are focusing on crime in particular as part of their campaigns.
However, Mr Cameron told the BBC's Breakfast: "The whole point about the environment and the reason I'm raising it is because there are lots of things you can do at a local level that have a global impact.
"Of course crime is a big issue locally, but there is a link between crime and the environment. If you have better parks, cleaner streets and better lighting you can actually cut crime."