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Fiat Chrysler settles with US over diesel emissions cheating
Fiat Chrysler is about to pay a stiff penalty for its alleged diesel vehicle emissions cheating. The automaker has reached a settlement with the Justice Department, EPA and California that will see it make amends for claimed violations of the country's Clean Air Act. It's launching a recall to fix the more than 100,000 diesel vehicles believed to be exceeding pollution limits. More importantly, there's a hefty financial punishment. Fiat Chrysler will pay as much as $800 million to address the case, including a combined $311 million in civil penalties, up to $280 million to address claims from owners (who get an average of $2,800 each) and $100 million for post-fix extended warranties.
US saw the largest increase in CO2 emissions in almost a decade
The US isn't faring well in efforts to keep carbon dioxide emissions in check. Rhodium Group analysts have determined that CO2 emissions jumped 3.4 percent year-over-year in 2018, or the largest increase since 2010. The reasons for the worsening output aren't necessarily what you expect, though. The research team attributed it both to a cold winter (thus increasing the use of oil and gas for heat) and, more importantly, a then-booming economy. The growth led to greater uses of factories, aircraft and trucks that frequently aren't subject to strict environmental policies, leading to sharp upticks in emissions. Industry alone saw emissions climb by 5.7 percent.
Governments reach deal to implement Paris climate change agreement
Politicians signed the Paris climate agreement back in 2015, but they've finally laid the groundwork for acting on that agreement. Governments have developed guidelines, known as the Katowice Climate Package, that will determine how they implement emissions reductions starting in 2020. It establishes how nations will set targets, measure technological progress, verify effectiveness and otherwise translate the agreement's goals into reality.
BMW considers electric-only mode for hybrids in zero-emissions areas
BMW has a problem: with cities planning to either create zero-emissions zones or even ban gas-powered cars entirely, how does it keep its vehicles on the road? By turning them into ad hoc electric cars, apparently. In a conversation at the LA Auto Show, board member Klaus Froehlich told Reuters that BMW could make its hybrid cars run in an electric-only mode in polluted city centers where EVs might become the only option. The machines would use their connected technology and navigation to "automatically" disable conventional engines in these areas, Froehlich said.
EU aims to be 'climate neutral' by 2050
European countries have already vowed to take significant steps to curb their effect on the climate, but they're now setting a more ambitious target. The European Union now hopes to achieve a "climate neutral" economy by 2050 -- that is, zero net greenhouse gas emissions. The strategy would involve wider use of renewable energy (80 percent by 2050), a shift to electric transportation and 'decarbonizing' industry.
Tougher emissions rules helped cut US air pollution deaths in half
There's little doubt that air quality has generally improved in the US in recent decades, but quantifying that improvement has been difficult. However, a recently published University of North Carolina study might have produced a more tangible figure. The NASA- and EPA-backed report determined that American deaths from air pollution dropped by 47 percent between 1990 and 2010 to 71,000 per year. The researchers achieved the figures by measuring the levels of two pollutants (ozone and PM2.5) in a 21-year computer simulation and comparing that to CDC data for related causes of death in given regions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ischemic heart disease.
Porsche is the first German car maker to drop diesel
German brands have stuck to diesel in spite of the fallout from VW's Dieselgate, but they're starting to bow under pressure. Porsche has become the first German automaker to drop diesel from its lineup, announcing that it will "no longer offer" vehicles based on the technology. This wasn't a great stretch when the badge is primarily focused on conventional gas engines and hasn't had a diesel model since February 2018, but it would rule out a comeback.
EU probes BMW, Daimler and VW for colluding over clean emissions tech
The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to determine whether BMW, Daimler and VW colluded to avoid competing with each other on clean emission technologies. The EU is assessing whether the companies met to limit the development of catalytic systems that reduce nitrogen oxide diesel emissions and particulate matter ("Otto" systems) from gas-powered cars.
CO2 emissions in 27 major cities have declined since 2012
There is some good news about efforts to fight human-made climate change. The C40 Cities group, which unifies climate initiatives in 96 urban areas around the world, reported that CO2 emissions peaked in 27 major cities (including London, New York City, San Francisco, Paris and Toronto) by 2012, and have been declining by an average of 2 percent each year since then. Greenhouse gas levels were "at least" 10 percent higher at peak than during the most recent study, C40 said. And that's despite economies and populations that have grown since then.
Trump administration reveals plans to roll back vehicle fuel standards
Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it wanted to roll back vehicle efficiency standards put into place by the Obama administration, and today the Trump administration revealed its plan to do so. While the previous policies stated that automakers have until 2025 to get their average fuel efficiencies for passenger vehicles to over 50 miles per gallon, the Trump administration rules would freeze standards after 2021 and average fuel efficiency requirements would then remain around 37 miles per gallon. Further, the plan aims to revoke a waiver that allows California to set its own vehicle efficiency standards.
Trump proposal would end California's tougher car emission standards
It's no secret that the Trump administration is bristling at the Clean Air Act waiver that lets California apply stricter car emissions standards -- the state effectively determines the standards for the rest of the country, negating any federal attempts at rolling back anti-pollution efforts. And the administration has apparently had enough. Bloomberg sources have learned of an imminent proposed standards revision that would strip California of its extra authority. The EPA would suggest revoking California's waiver, while the NHTSA would maintain that California isn't allowed to regulate emissions under the law that established federal-level fuel efficiency requirements.
Insurance giant stops covering firms that depend on coal
The elimination of coal power isn't just good for the environment... it's quickly becoming good for the corporate bottom line. Insurance giant Swiss Re has enacted a policy that refuses coverage to any company that either generates 30 percent or more of its revenue from coal power, or uses at least 30 percent coal power to run its operations. Swiss Re touted the move as reflecting its commitment to limiting global warming (it made a pledge in 2015 alongside the Paris climate accord), but it also casts this as a shrewd business move.
Investigators say China is behind illegal CFC emissions
A global environmental "whodunit" emerged last month, when researchers revealed that someone, somewhere, was pumping tonnes of banned chemical CFC-11 into the atmosphere. Now, investigators think they've found the culprits. According to The New York Times, the ozone-damaging gas is likely being emitted by illegal refrigerator factories in China, which claim no-one told them the chemical was prohibited by the 1987 Montreal Protocol.
Audi CEO arrested over alleged role in Dieselgate scandal
Audi CEO Rupert Stadler was arrested today, a week after his home was raided by German prosecutors. He has reportedly been detained for his alleged role in Dieselgate, a scandal unearthed in 2015 that revealed Volkswagen, Audi's parent company, had installed software in its vehicles that allowed them to cheat emissions tests. The "defeat device" as it's known was able to detect when a car's emissions were being tested and it would then switch on full emissions controls that were usually off in order to make it appear as if the autos were within regulations.
EPA scientific advisory board to review agency's recent rollbacks
This week, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) met to discuss some of the changes the agency has proposed under Administrator Scott Pruitt. And ultimately, the 44-person board voted to review a number of the EPA's proposals and write a letter to Pruitt. "The leadership of the board was chosen by Pruitt himself, so their decision today is a sharp rebuke of his leadership and this dangerous proposal," Ana Unruh Cohen, managing director of government affairs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told Bloomberg.
Zipcar rolls out the UK's biggest zero-emission car-share fleet
The UK's Zipcar club is going green. This summer, the car-sharing company will begin adding Volkswagen e-Golfs to its London fleet, starting with 100 in July and totalling 325 by the end of the year. Other car clubs already have EVs on the roads in the capital, but the move will make Zipcar the biggest zero-emissions car-share program in the UK.
Daimler may be the next automaker embroiled in a diesel scandal
VW might not be the only German car maker that has to deal with a full-fledged diesel emissions scandal. To start, Germany has ordered Daimler to recall Mercedes-Benz Vito diesel vans for allegedly cheating on emissions tests limiting nitrogen oxide output. The company has met with officials and now has until June 15th to offer a solution. However, these may be just one part of a broader problem.
A banned CFC is destroying the ozone and nobody can find its source
Scientists spent years campaigning for a ban on the ozone-damaging chemical CFC-11, but 30 years after it was phased out in the 1987 Montreal Protocol, someone somewhere is breaking the rules. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, emissions of the banned chemical are on the rise, climbing 25 percent since 2012. By now, production of CFC-11 is supposed to be at or near zero.
Regulation has helped, not hindered California’s green economy
Earlier this year, California raked in $2.7 trillion gross state product, overtaking the UK as the world's fifth largest economy -- only Germany, Japan, China and the US itself produce more annually. It isn't just our lush farming regions or the technological wonders coming out of Silicon Valley that have made California an economic bellwether, the state's strict adherence to environmental regulations, which go far and above what the rest of the nation demands, have certainly helped as well.
US charges Ex-VW CEO with fraud over Dieselgate scandal
Volkswagen's former CEO Martin Winterkorn has been formally charged with conspiracy and wire fraud in US federal court over the corporation's diesel emissions-cheating scandal. It's part of a probe into the company's efforts in the so-called Dieselgate fiasco that revealed the German automaker had installed software that faked favorable results on vehicle emissions tests.
