Several countries and companies announced plans Wednesday to stop selling cars that run on gasoline or diesel over the next two decades, as part of efforts to clamp down on a significant source of planet-warming emissions.
But the impact of the measures will likely be limited since several major car markets — notably the United States and China — did not sign-on, and the pledges received a mixed response from environmental campaigners.
Nations and airlines also pledged to reduce emissions from air travel.
On the sidelines of the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, a group of nations said Wednesday that they would work to sell only zero-emission vehicles by 2040, and no later than 2035 in leading auto markets.
While the wording of the agreement is vague, it could essentially mean switching to electric-only fleets of cars, trucks and buses — and backing off popular halfway solutions currently in use, such as hybrid vehicles.
The plan was backed by countries including Canada, Chile, Denmark, India, Poland, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Several American states and cities also signed sign-on, as did major carmakers Ford, General Motors, Mercedes Benz and Volvo.
Some companies, such as Volvo, had already pledged to even earlier targets to phase out combustion engines.
“This welcome move signals that a growing number of countries, automakers and transportation providers are joining the global push for 100% zero-emissions electric vehicles,” said Jake Schmidt of the New York-based nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council
But the Brussel-based think tank Transport and Environment said the announcement needs to be backed by legally binding targets and noted the absence of major car markets such as China, the U.S., Germany and France.
Transportation is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Energy Agency.
A recent report by the agency found the sale of new internal combustion engine cars — those that run on gasoline and diesel — needs to be phased out by 2035 to ensure the goals set in Paris in 2015 on capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) can be met.
German officials said the country declined to sign the agreement announced Wednesday because it contained a footnote that would prevent the use of synthetic fuels produced with renewable energy — an option that some in the current and likely future government want to keep open.
The country has backed a proposal being considered by the European Union to end sales of gasoline-powered cars and vans by 2035.
The U.S. auto industry, meanwhile, has previously pledged to dramatically increase production of electric cars, and a massive new infrastructure package provides $7.5 billion in federal grants to build a network of charging stations.
