The European fleet CO2 limits: A contribution to climate justice in transport?

More and more cars are driving on Europe's roads, and delivery traffic is increasing. CO2 emissions from road transport in the EU continue to rise - despite climate targets. This has serious global consequences. Every day, CO2 emissions from EU roads contribute to climate disasters such as extreme droughts, floods and hurricanes, as well as their consequences for the people affected. Above all, they meet the people who have contributed at least to the current climate crisis.

The European fleet CO2 limits are intended to contribute to climate protection in transport and to reduce CO2 transport emissions. So far, the targets are far from sufficient to make Europe climate neutral by 2050 and to contribute to global climate justice. The current form of the regulation offers car manufacturers many loopholes to comply with the limit values on paper, but to submit to effective climate protection. This may change in 2021. With the new EU climate targets of December 2020, the European CO2 fleet limits must also be adjusted. Our new factsheet shows how the European fleet CO2 limits work and what loopholes and problems there are. We make proposals on how an adaptation of the regulation in the summer of 2021 can contribute to an improved effectiveness of the CO2 fleet limit values, to the EU-wide combustion engine phase-out and to more global climate justice.