In order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, CO2 must be drastically reduced. Greenpeace is now attacking car manufacturers who want to sell many more combustion cars in the coming years than would still be compatible with the target.
Environmentalists have sharply criticized the sales plans for cars with internal combustion engines from several manufacturers. "A new Greenpeace study shows that Toyota, VW and Hyundai/Kia want to sell at least twice as many diesel and petrol vehicles as their remaining CO2 budget allows," the organization said. "The car companies are fueling the climate crisis with their ecological ghost trip."
Greenpeace sees this planned "overproduction" as an economic risk for the manufacturers, because politically many cities, regions and entire countries are currently saying goodbye to combustion engine technology. Environmentalists warn that if politicians make the necessary efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, companies will be stuck on their cars.
According to Greenpeace, it has calculated how many combustion cars are still allowed to be sold worldwide so that CO2 emissions can still be limited to a level in line with the Paris climate protection goals. The sale of 315 million vehicles is therefore still within the 1.5 degree target. However, the auto industry plans to sell 645 to 778 million combustion engines.
According to the study, the manufacturer Toyota performs particularly poorly: The Japanese want to sell almost three times as many combustion engines as they are entitled to according to the CO2 budget. Although Volkswagen already had a comparatively high rate of e-car sales in 2021, it is only planning a slow increase. "As a result, VW's planned combustion engine sales will also at least double (100 to 136 percent) the figure that is still acceptable for 1.5 degrees."
Almost every country in the world committed to the 1.5 degree target in the 2015 Paris climate protection agreement. The aim is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees by the year 2100. This requires drastic savings in industry, transport, energy production and private households, especially in heating.
