By Jon Roe
The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association launched an ad campaign at the end of Oct., calling on the government to increase the availability of bio fuels and to expand programs to get older vehicles off the road. Though both would help to reduce greenhouse gases and smog, their recommendations are ultimately flawed and approach the problem from the wrong angle.
Though bio fuels should be considered as a potential part of future fuel mix, currently ethanol has questionable environmental credentials and causes other problems. Ethanol takes a lot of energy to produce and, though it’s been advocated as some sort of fuel messiah, the amount of actual greenhouse gas reductions from using ethanol-blended gasoline is debatable. The boom in ethanol production has already caused other problems, namely the increase in the price of corn worldwide. This is great for farmers, but bad for anyone who purchases corn and corn derivatives, which include a wide variety of products. The increase in the price of corn has increased the price of everything from beer to tortillas.
The auto industry is advocating the solution of one problem by causing a potentially greater one. Fuel may be a primary concern for First World countries and their citizens, but when the world price is food is jacked up to help satiate a ridiculous, unquenchable thirst for gasoline, maybe everyone should take a step back and reconsider ethanol.
CVMA has thrown another recommendation to the forefront in this recent campaign, pointing out that new vehicles represent a very small portion of smog-causing emissions and that old vehicles are to blame for the problems. Though this may be true, this is a diversion from the real problem in Canada: a lack of stringent gas mileage standards. According to a report from the Pew Center on Climate Change, Canada’s fuel economy standards are slightly better than the United States, slightly worse than Australia’s and far behind Japan and the European Union. Canada is even behind developing nation and much maligned greenhouse gas doppelganger China in mileage standards.
New cars eventually become old cars, and without tough emissions standards similar to those enacted by the EU and Japan, our cars will continue to pollute far more than needed. Though old cars should be considered when looking at overall greenhouse gas reductions, targeting them and continuing to put less-than-optimal new cars on to the road doesn’t make sense. Considering that switching from an old car to a new car is an expensive one time purchase or lease burden that a lot of people can’t afford, what the CVMA is advocating for is an emissions tax on the poor.
Ultimately, the CVMA is trying to skirt and thwart laws like those on the table in California (and British Columbia, which is trying to follow California’s suit) increasing fuel efficiency standards in their jurisdiction. It’s not surprising this campaign comes on the heels of a lawsuit by Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, prominent automakers lobby groups, against the state of California for trying to step up and create tougher standards that would put it ahead of Canada. Charter members of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers include Ford and General Motors. CVMA’s membership includes Ford Motor Company of Canada and General Motors of Canada.
Though bio fuels and old cars have roles to play in the future of reducing greenhouse gases, the CVMA advocating for increased bio fuel use and for the government to implement programs to get old cars off the road is a little ridiculous. What needs to be done first is for Canada to step up and set fuel efficiency standards at the same level of Japan and the EU, rather than lag behind in the smog with the U.S.—whether the car manufacturers like it or not.