Emissions, and why we are walking a fine line...

IF cars are so much more fuel efficient now than before, why does Ireland still face EU penalties for increased carbon emissions? The answer is simple. The less fuel the cars use, the cheaper it is to run them, and the cheaper it is to run them, the more we use them.

We’re producing less carbon per kilometre driven, but we’re driving further than ever. Vehicle history and data company Cartell.ie reports that between 1998 and 2017, fuel efficiency increased by 35%, from 6.98 litres per 100km driven to 4.53 l/100km. The largest increase occurred between 2007 and 2017, when efficiency improved by 31%. This largely was down to the change in policy introduced in July 2008, when it was decided to calculate motor tax and VRT rates on emissions rather than engine size.

The problem is that the average annualised distance travelled by a car five years old or less in 2016 was 21,028km, a 7.1% increase over the 2008 figure of 19,635km.

It’s a shame, because we are doing well on other metrics. The EU target for average emissions of all new cars is 130 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre driven. The actual European average in 2016 was 118.1g, but Ireland performed even better, with an average of just 113g. Unfortunately, imported second-hand cars are tilting the balance in the opposite direction, with average emissions of 118g in 2016, and 120g in 2017.

Of course, not all our emissions are down to transportation, and agriculture still accounts for the most significant percentage, followed by energy generation. But unless we do something about it, we face €450million in fines in 2020 for exceeding EU targets.

It might be time to buy some new walking boots.