14 DAY TRIAL // In a report shared with the public this past March 13, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders argues that, according to information at hand, the United Kingdom managed to reduce its new-car emissions by nearly 4% back in 2013.
Specialists working with the Society go on to detail that the exact drop in average new-car emissions in said country was one of 3.6% and that it was documented in comparison to a 2012 baseline.
When the year 2000 is taken into consideration, on the other hand, the ecological footprint – emission-wise, that is – of new cars in the United Kingdom is roughly 30% smaller, the report maintains. Business Green tells us that, if the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders is right, then the country's average new-car emissions in 2013 had a value of 128.3 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer.
To put things into perspective, it must be said that member states of the European Union are supposed to reach a target of 130 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer by the year 2015.
This means that the United Kingdom has managed to do more than it was expected of it in terms of improving on how its fleet affects the environment.
Otherwise put, the country appears to be well on track to meet the European Union's goal to reduce average new-car emissions to 95 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer by 2020.
Commenting on the findings of this investigation into the ecological footprint of the United Kingdom's new-cars fleet, Mike Hawes, the current chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, stated as follows:
“The UK automotive industry should be proud of the progress it has made in improving the environmental impact of its vehicles.”
“Through the Automotive Sector Strategy, it has been hugely encouraging to see government's determination to ensure the UK is at the forefront of research, development and introduction of low carbon vehicles,” he went on to say.
Although the United Kingdom has made significant progress in terms of becoming more environmentally friendly, it would appear that the country is by no means the king and queen of reduced new-car emissions.
On the contrary, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders maintains that Denmark and Portugal are the ones worthy of this title. Thus, in 2012, these countries' fleets averaged emissions below 120 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer.
Then again, the entire European Union reported average emissions of 132.2 grams per kilometer, and Germany boosted 141.5 grams per kilometer, so as least the United Kingdom can be argued to be doing better than other countries.