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The Irish Independent has reported that stylish car
advertisements may be forced to carry massive cigarette-style
warning banners letting consumers know how much carbon dioxide
they will emit.
New EU proposals could see car ads in magazines, newspapers
and on posters carry the so-called 'environmental warnings'
similar to 'health warnings' on cigarette promotions.
Advocates of the new system hope they can push through measures
which would see as much as one-fifth of the ad carry an environmental
health warning.
However, motor industry representatives have said that such
proposals were going too far - describing them as 'draconian'.
The 'environmental warning' could come in the form
of the A to G system recently introduced to Irish motorists
or as a new 'traffic light' pattern.
At present, manufacturers are required to display the CO2
emissions in advertisements and promotional materials, but
there is no required size for the information. In addition,
the emissions levels can be buried in small text, prompting
the EU to say that the current system 'is not working as
well as it could and needs to be amended'.
Carbon dioxide fumes from cars account for 12pc of total
emissions across the entire European Union.
The plans have been discussed by the European Commission
and a separate - but stronger - amendment will go before the
European Parliament in the coming months. If the proposals
were adopted, advertisers would be forced to incorporate information
on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions
in their sales pitch.
Alan Nolan of the Society of the Motor Industry of Ireland
(SIMI) said that a "code of practice is needed, rather than
something draconian like this". He added that getting motorists
used to buying low-emission cars under the new VRT tax system
introduced recently would be much more effective than bombarding
them with huge text and images.
Ahead of the new tax system coming onto effect, Environment
Minister John Gormley launched a new labelling system for
cars that would show exactly how much tax consumers would
pay on their purchase (Click
Here).
Oisin Coughlan, director of Friends of the Earth Ireland,
said that such a system would be preferable to huge 'environmental
warnings'.
Source - The Irish Independent
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