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Worldwide, SUVs now account for almost half of new registrations
Photo: Akos Stiller/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The International Energy Agency (IEA) calculated that city SUVs would emit almost a billion tonnes of CO2 in 2022 – around the same as the national emissions of Germany and the United Kingdom, according to the British Guardian together.
If all SUVs were one country, they would be the sixth dirtiest country in the world.
According to the IEA, 330 million SUVs are on the road worldwide.
And there is no end in sight to their rise: while ten years ago they accounted for 20 percent of new cars, by 2022 it was already 46 percent.
The market grew last year, especially in the USA, India and China.
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It is true that more and more SUVs are driving electrically, last year 16 percent of new SUVs did so.
But these also required larger batteries than small cars, so a growing market for electric SUVs is putting additional pressure on battery supply chains and further increasing demand for much-needed materials, the IEA said.
The city SUVs have been criticized for their poor environmental balance for years.
According to the IEA, because they are so heavy and less efficient, they consume around 20 percent more fuel than the average mid-size car.
This increases both the demand for oil and CO2 emissions.
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