Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action to discuss impact on carbon budgets of growing trend in car sales towards heavier and larger vehicles such as SUVs

The meeting at 11am in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House will hear from:

Dr Hannah Daly – Professor in Sustainable Energy and Energy Systems Modelling, UCC MaREI;

Mr James Nix – Climate Director, Transport and Environment;

Dr Peter Mock, Managing Director, International Council on Clean Transportation Europe;

Mr Apostolos Petropoulos, International Energy Agency.

Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Brian Leddin said: “There has been a growing trend in recent years of increasing sales of larger, heavier vehicles, such as SUVs. This trend is across all engine types – petrol and diesel, petrol hybrid, and full battery electric vehicles.

“Research shows such large, heavy vehicles have an impact on our environment in terms of higher carbon dioxide emissions. The increase in size and weight also has road safety implications for pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles, as well as an impact on our road infrastructure.

“While battery electric vehicles are the future of motor transport, heavier vehicles such as larger SUVs, which make up a significant portion of new EV sales, come with a cost in terms of higher energy consumption and increased resources for battery production.

“While our road taxation system for vehicles is now emissions based, some countries base their motors taxes on vehicle weight, or are introducing a system that takes vehicle weight into consideration.

“The Committee welcomes this opportunity to discuss the impact of these larger, heavier vehicles on our carbon budgets, and we look forward to discussing these and related matters with our stakeholders.”

The Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The meeting in Committee Room 3 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.