Over one in four of all new cars sold have emissions below 120gCO2/km and average emissions from new cars sold in Europe fell by 3.4% in 2011 to 136.1 grams of CO2 per kilometre, according to preliminary data from analyst firm Jato Dynamics.
According to Jato, Fiat did best (or the least badly) among 20 best-selling brands, with average emissions of just 118.2gCO2/km, followed by Seat, Citroen and Toyota.
Having recently introduced CO2-related tax, Portugal has the lowest emissions at 112gCO2/km.
Under EU regulation, European car makers have three years to reduce emissions from the entire new car fleet to below 130gCO2/km, a limit that is considered far too weak by environmentalists and they argue that the 95g CO2/km slated for 2020 should be brought forward.
Emissions and the way we travel
Cars produce CO2 from their exhaust pipes, but that is only one of the ways in which they pollute. A report by the European Cyclists Federation (ECF) calculated that an average car produced 271g, a bus 101g of CO2 and that s that Europe could reduce its overall emissions by one quarter if its population cycled as regularly as the Danes.
You can check the exhaust pipe emissions of your own car using our Green Car Buyers’ Guide
According to the report cycling is responsible for CO2 emissions of 21g per km. The calculations included emissions associated with production, maintenance and fuel. The figures were based on a heavy 19kg European-style town bike built using 14.6kg of aluminium, 3.7kg of steel and 1.6kg of rubber and the cost of producing the extra calories consumed by a cyclist rather than a motorist.
In Denmark the average person cycles almost 600 miles each year – far more than the EU average of almost 120 miles per person per year and a total of 46 miles in Britain.
Why bother calculating the CO2 emissions of cycling?
Cycling is often cited as a zero-emission activity, but while this is true for air and noise pollution, the same cannot be said about cycling and greenhouse gas emissions. In accurately answering the question of how much pollution is produced by cycling relative to other modes of transport, the authors of the report believe that a robust case for placing cycling at the heart of transport policy. They acknowledge that the assumptions made about emissions resulting from manufacture and increased intake of calories mean that their figures are conservative and that the true figures for cycling are likely to be far less than 21g per km.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Cycling is a simple, cost-effective and efficient way of reducing emissions, but headlines are more likely to be grabbed by the promise of electric cars.”
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Cycle insurance from the ETA includes new-for-old, cover for accidental damage, £1m third party insurance, personal accident cover and if you breakdown, we will even come out and recover you and your bike. Get an instant online quote below.
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