Yabba dabba two
So yesterday I got to put out a press release with the headline “Flintstones and friends arrested” – happily they’ve all been released. Here’s a nice edit of our footage and vintage flintstones from EUXTV.
And an update from car campaigner Mel about what happened next.
I am really happy to be able to report that all nine activists were released without charge, and the Flintstones’ car was also released. Nonetheless, the activists were held for 6 hours – for administrative purposes only, on the grounds that apparently we needed to learn a lesson about getting correct protest permits. Hmm… yes that certainly seems to justify 20 police, 4 vans and 2 cars.
I prefer to think that actually it was a show of support for our parody. That somewhere in the Belgian police service someone wanted to stop these prehistoric lobbyists and their stone-aged message on car CO2 emissions from reaching Parliament!
The flintstones came along to help us launch our new report about how the car lobby is trying to thwart urgently needed fuel-efficiency legislation. Helped by friends in high places they have been fighting vigorously for nearly twenty years to undermine regulation. Through a PR effort known as the 3-D they have worked hard to: Deny the problem, Delay legislation, and Dominate the debate. Sadly, rather than standing up for the climate all too often EU decision makers have given in to the lobby’s stone-age demands, allowing them to drive climate change.
This week Members of European Parliament (MEPs) are discussing fuel legislation. So are we. Greenpeace campaigners from across Europe are meeting these politicians, and the committees formed to discuss the issue and are ensuring that they listen to our message –the one standing up for the climate. It’s been great to show those MEPs who have been standing up to the car lobby already, that they are not alone.
Our message is clear – it’s not too late. This autumn, there is a crucial vote where EU politicians can show they are not stuck in the stone-age, stand up to the car lobby and fight to save our climate.
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Comments
I've read the report, and the thing that really worries me is that you guys are against waivers for companies selling less than 10,000 cars. Are you guys really seeking to destroy Lamborghini, Ferrari and Bugatti, nevermind that the overall impact of a Murcielago, F430 and Veyron is minimal at best because of low production numbers?
Posted by: Alex | June 1, 2008 3:00 AM
Greenpeace are, indeed, against exemptions for companies that sell fewer than 10,000 models. We believe that every car manufacturer should have to comply with this legislation for the following reasons:
1) The legislation has a great deal of flexibility built in. It talks about fleet averages, and includes a fairly complex calculation of average fleet weight and sales. This then gives each manufacturer a target based on their own fleet and sales. This is very fair, because it will give some leeway to premium cars, as they will still have a proportionate emissions target, but it will be higher than 120g/km. Additionally, at the moment, these cars do have the option to pool with manufacturers of small cars, which is also only fair as some makers of luxury cars are part of a bigger group and others are not.
2) Traditionally, innovation in the car industry has been driven by the premium car brands. there is no reasons why innovative solutions to reducing CO2 should not also be driven by this sector. Granting them a special status under the legislation would give them no incentive to do so.
Overall, we are not seeking to put some niche manufacturers out of business; rather we are trying to ensure that every car manufacturer takes a proportionate amount of responsibility for the emissions from climate change. It is obvious that the manufacturers with a large turnover of new cars has as a greater responsibility than niche manufacturers, but they do not bear all of the responsibility on their own.
Posted by: Mel (Cars campaigner) | June 4, 2008 6:08 PM
Point taken, but no exemptions would negatively impact manufacturers like Koeingsegg and Pagani, whose production total is a literal drop in the bucket, maybe less than 100 annually. I don't want to see them go out of business due to high fines for noncompliance. Sorry, but a Prius doesn't light my fire like a Pagani Zonda F...
Posted by: Alex | June 14, 2008 3:17 AM