‘Ban high CO2 car ads’

Climate

The Government should ban adverts for cars with high carbon dioxide emissions, say climate change campaigners.

Adverts for the largest vehicles are undermining the Government’s efforts to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, say climate action groups the New Weather Institute, Possible, and the KR Foundation.

Sales of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) have risen in the UK for the last four years they say. They believe the trend is influenced by manufacturers’ heavy marketing of the vehicles, which are sold at high profit margins.

The groups recommend banning advertising of the ‘dirtiest third’ of new cars sold in the UK – all cars with emissions exceeding 160gCO2/ km – as well as vehicles that are too large for a standard parking space (exceeding 4.8 metres in length). 

The Government should also prepare to completely phase-out advertising for fossil-fuelled private vehicles, to support the proposal to phase-out their sales, say the groups.