These brands refuse to sell only zero-emission cars 1:02
(CNN Business) -
Major auto industry players are refusing to back a pledge to sell only zero-emission cars and trucks by 2040, hitting hopes that significant progress will be made in fighting the crisis. weather during COP26.
The UN climate summit in Glasgow, chaired by the UK, wanted governments, manufacturers and investors to promise to "work towards making all new car and truck sales globally zero emissions by 2040, and no later than 2035 in major markets, "according to a statement released Wednesday.
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The non-binding pledge was pushed by summit organizers as key in efforts to keep carbon emissions in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees. Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
But Toyota and Volkswagen - the world's leading carmakers in terms of sales - BMW, Nissan, Stellantis and other manufacturers refused to sign the statement.
The United Kingdom, Canada, India and Poland, in addition to 19 other countries, signed the pledge.
The list does not include the two largest auto markets: China and the United States.
Germany, home to Europe's largest auto industry, wasn't ready to back it either.
German Environment Minister Jochen Flasbarth accused the British presidency of adding an "unnecessary barrier" by adding a footnote to the declaration that would also ban synthetic fuels.
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"The most worrying thing today is that big economies like the United States, Germany, China, Japan and manufacturers like VW, Toyota and Hyundai do not even dare to sign a declaration on electric vehicles that promises less than what is really needed to stay safe. climate, "Martin Kaiser, CEO of Greenpeace Germany, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The arguments of manufacturers that do not sign the pledge on electric cars
Toyota said in a statement that there was not enough time to implement such a comprehensive policy by 2040, especially in parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, which lack the "environment to promote electrification."
"Because of this, we found it difficult to commit to a joint statement and we are not involved in signing it at this time," the Japanese company said.
Volkswagen, which has invested heavily in electric cars and plans to build six "gigafactories" in Europe by 2030, said it was fully committed to that strategy "as the primary means of achieving zero-emission vehicles."
But, like Toyota, he said the 2040 deadline did not account for differences in the pace of adoption of zero-emission vehicles around the world.
He also said that any accelerated switch to electric vehicles had to be "in line with an energy transition to 100% renewables."
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"Although the speed of transformation is essential, the pace of it will continue to be different from one region to another (...) depending, among other things, on local political decisions that drive investments in electric vehicles and infrastructure", it said in a statement.
BMW also declined to sign the pledge because of what it called "considerable uncertainty" about how a complete global shift towards zero-emission vehicles would be supported, especially in very different markets.
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The company said it had zero-emission technology "ready today" and that the models of its Rolls Royce and Mini brands made beginning in the early 2030s would be solely battery electric vehicles.
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Some automakers, however, were willing to back the COP initiative.
Ford signed the pledge and said it expected up to 40% of its global vehicle production "to be fully electric by 2030."
General Motors also supported the statement.
Daimler, the owner of Mercedes-Benz, signed the COP26 declaration, but added that its own goals were "even more ambitious."
He said he was preparing to make Mercedes fully electric "by the end of the decade, when market conditions allow."
Sweden-based Volvo joined, and had already announced its intention to sell only fully electric cars by 2030.
Uber and Leaseplan also supported the compromise.
Benjamin Stephan, head of Greenpeace Germany's energy and transportation campaigns, told CNN Business that it was "not at all surprising" that the country's major automakers did not adhere to the COP26 pledge, and singled out BMW for being reluctant to take a path towards fully electric vehicles, in contrast to Volkswagen's stated strategy for electric cars.
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However, he also criticized the pledge to only sell zero-emission vehicles by 2040 as a "step in the right direction, but too slow" to meet the goals of keeping temperatures rising to 1.5 degrees Celsius and zero emissions. net by 2050.
CNN's Amy Cassidy, Mayumi Maruyama, Anna Cooban, and Chris Liakos contributed to this report.
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