IEA: SUVs create problems for the environment

BERLIN (AP) — Manufacturing ever-larger vehicles poses a growing problem for the environment, according to the International Energy Agency, as they emit more greenhouse gases and require batteries larger than small cars. .

The Paris-based body suggested on Monday it was time for the auto industry to downsize vehicles, offering data showing the world’s 330 million sport utility vehicles (SUVs) emitted nearly a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2022.

This amount is higher than the annual emissions of an industrialized country like Germany.

“The shift to heavier, less fuel-efficient conventional vehicles increases oil demand and CO2 emissions,” the agency noted, adding that SUVs consume about 20% more gasoline than the average car. intermediaries.

“Between 2021 and 2022, oil consumption in conventional cars, excluding SUVs, remained about the same, but global SUV oil consumption increased by 500,000 barrels per day, which is a third of the total oil demand growth,” he said.

And while sales of conventional vehicles fell slightly in 2022 – by around 1 million SUVs and 1 million smaller cars – sales of electric vehicles nearly doubled to more than 10 million units. For the first time, electric SUVs outperformed non-electrics, at 5.5 million versus 5.3 million.

Electric SUVs need bigger batteries than smaller cars, the agency noted.

“A growing market for electric SUVs would put additional pressure on battery supply chains and increase demand for the minerals needed to manufacture them,” he added.

The IEA urged government officials and manufacturers to fix the problem and suggested three possible actions: “Downsize the average car; increase battery sharing and invest in innovative battery technologies. »