Lib Dems plan to ban petrol powered cars by 2040
The Lib Dems at their 2007 party conference have approved a radical green agenda to make Britain carbon-neutral by 2050. This is an ambitious aim, which if it can be achieved, will go a long way in showing other developed countries that it is possible for a modern economy to function without creating excess carbon emissions. The raft of measures contained within the plan will no doubt be labelled as ’ludicrous,’ or ‘unachievable,’ or even ‘ridiculous’ by most mainstream politicians, business leaders and members of the public. But, the only way to tackle climate change is to actually take the necessary steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there is no other way. There is no ‘easy option’ to this problem, it will involve changes to our attitudes and our lifestyles. One of the most contentious items on the agenda is the plan to initially tax vehicles that are heavy consumers of petrol, like performance cars and 4x 4’s, and then to ban all petrol powered vehicles by 2040.
This may seem a draconian measure, but it gives people an incentive to drive more economical cars for a start, and it gives car manufacturers another 33 years to develop alternative fuel vehicles. I don’t think that is asking too much of a multi-billion pound industry that spends billions on research and development. In fact, I think this is just the kind of motivation the car industry needs to actually take alternative fuel technology seriously.
