Land Rover calls in enviro experts
SUV maker's offset scheme under scrutiny
Land Rover Defender
An independent board of governance, formed for this purpose, will include, among others, one of the first people to raise awareness of climate change, the former government adviser and diplomat, Sir Crispin Tickell. He'll be joined by the director of the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford, Professor Diana Liverman, the director of the business programme at the sustainable development charity, Forum For The Future, Dr Sally Uren, and the government adviser and former director of environment policy at B&Q, Alan Knight. Further appointments will be announced in due course, said Land Rover.
Land Rover has cut emissions with each successive model in its range and said that it's developing technologies to make further improvements. The CO2 emissions from its main manufacturing plant at Solihull have been cut by 30 per cent over the past 10 years.
The offset programme is part of the company's approach to reduce CO2 emissions and will offset all of the CO2 generated by Land Rover’s manufacturing operations and the first 45,000 miles of vehicle use by its UK customers, said the company. It's run by Climate Care, which LR described as "a highly respected offset provider", saying that "the ultimate goal is CO2 neutrality with investments being made in renewable energy projects such as wind and solar, technology change and energy efficiency."
Tickell said: “Climate change is a long-standing issue and these are important steps towards practical actions to tackle part of that problem.”
Uren said: “Offset schemes are a useful way of engaging the public on the climate change agenda. However, offsetting is a transition mechanism at best, as it will be investment in new technologies that will provide the long-term solutions to climate change. Land Rover recognises this and we look forward to seeing new advances in technology reach the market in the not too distant future.”
LR boss Phil Popham said: “The Land Rover carbon offset programme is an industry-leading initiative and demonstrates our commitment to the environment, which includes investing in new technologies to further reduce the emissions from our vehicles. I am delighted that such distinguished figures, who’ve played leading roles in highlighting the issue of climate change, have agreed to give us their advice and assistance in tackling this issue.”
The board will meet every four months and will ensure due diligence is exercised throughout the offset process to make certain it is accountable, efficient and transparent, according to LR.
This is a move that will surely be closely watched by other motor manufacturers: first they came for the SUVs -- but who's next?
Its not so long ago (approx 20 years, a millisecond in global warming terms) that the same environmental experts were warning that we were approaching a new Iceage.
Sea levels are rising; fact, temperatures are rising; fact. The cause is unproven; fact.
Its well known that sea levels have risen and fallen over the centuries/millenia, and those old changes were clearly not caused by C02 emmission from mankind; fact.
If youre not 100% certain that were not being deceived a little here, check Ben Lovejoys article www.nurburgring.org.uk/benlovejoy/opinions/globalwarming/index.html
$50 for a 10-18mpg vehicle is bloody peanuts. But Bliar and co will have us paying 100x that!
I really wonder what the greenie arguement could be after the realisation the car prices go up £500 for a lifetimes supply of offset on manufacturing AND running costs!?
Maybe then they'll realise the real cost is in the things that they enjoy, like fancy fruits from the other side of the world or fancy jewellery mined at great energy expense etc etc etc...
The same carbon offset website offsets a 4 person family (usa) for about £200 a year... it literally is drop in the ocean stuff for how much greenies go on at personal usage. I'd pay it right now to stop our government using it as a way of imposing much larger and more draconian taxes on us for basically bugger all. At least these companies are doing things with the money rather than govt who would blow it all on Eurocratic crap and red tape jobsworths etc etc...
Dave
Its a natural occurrence. If they are "Experts" why cant they see that our input on the climate change would not alter a thing. If we did not exist, things, climate wise, would be exactly as they are now. The Lentilist tree huggers just want to blame people to get some sort f satisfaction, but it remains true that even if we were to neutralize all thats been done, and stop pollution, we will still be reaching the end of an Ice Age, and things will carry on as they were.
Who will they blame then?
Poor Land Rover. Poor us.
I don't mind the ice-caps melting and sea levels rising - note to self get a boat - and to counter a previous post although only 1 ice cap is melting ( the other is largely water to begin with ) the greenland ice sheet is just about equivalent to a very large ice cap in itself.
It doesn't matter who or what is responsible for the rising temperature, we just have to be prepared to accept that life is going to be harsher and much costlier. You wouldn't expect the same variety of veggies in the supermarket and you'd have to get air conditioning in largely badly insulated victorian houses.
I would advise against having children too.. too much to explain to them why their world is so sh*tty - a world that has evolved out of human comfort.
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