http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=120490 Independent News
Blair's top scientist calls for petrol car ban Pollution peril È Professor David King says Britain must force oil and car companies to develop 'green' transport solutions By Severin Carrell 17 February 2002 Tony Blair's chief scientific adviser has called for a complete ban on the sale of petrol-and diesel-powered cars, in one of the most dramatic proposals yet made on tackling climate change. Professor David King told The Independent on Sunday that Britain should follow the example of Lombardy, a heavily-industrialised region in northern Italy, which is to ban the sale of fossil-fuel powered cars from 1 January 2005. Professor King, the Government's most senior scientist, said a fixed target would force car makers and oil companies to develop "green" cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells and electricity. "I think we need a State of Lombardy-type statement from the UK," he said. "We need to be pressing for the economic drivers which are required to bring these technologies to Britain." His remarks are the first time any Government adviser has advocated such a tough policy on car use. "This is a hugely significant statement from someone at the centre of Government," said Tony Juniper, director designate of Friends of the Earth. "Until now, the Government has failed to recognise that, logically, we must phase out fossil fuels. Hopefully, Tony Blair will listen." Imposing a deadline would shock the car and oil industries which sold more than 2.2m new cars, worth about £30bn, and 29 billion litres of fuel in the UK in 2000. They will claim that Lombardy and California, which has imposed a zero-emissions policy for new cars, are chiefly concerned with cutting urban air pollution rather than climate change. Environment campaigners argue, however, that road transport is responsible for about 25 per cent of Britain's annual CO2 emissions of roughly 152 million tonnes, and is the only major sector which is increasing its CO2 emissions. Professor King refused to be drawn on which year should be chosen but said "green" cars would soon be widely available. Major car and oil companies such as Ford, Chrysler, Shell and BP already have an "impressive" joint project to test various hydrogen-fuelled cars in the United States. Ford has begun selling a solely electric two-seater car, The Think, and the British company Johnson Matthey is, he said, close to unveiling hydrogen fuel cells for buses and cars. Professor King's intervention follows the publication last Thursday of the Government's energy review, which set out new proposals to promote renewable energy. Professor King said that Downing Street's Policy and Innovation Unit report had failed to highlight the scale of the climate change crisis "as clearly as I would have liked to see it". http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=120488 Independent News At last, a clue to the mystery disease that is the curse of modern living http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=120497 Independent News Revealed: car fumes give children asthma ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Get your FREE credit report with a FREE CreditCheck Monitoring Service trial http://us.click.yahoo.com/ACHqaB/bQ8CAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
