United Kingdom: A news study has found that ultra-heavy SUVs are more harmful to the environment than conventional-engineered cars bought in 2013 since they have lower carbon emissions.
The study by the climate campaign group Possible noted that there is a strong connection between income and owning a large SUV. Data on vehicle ownership in England showed that households belonging to the top 20 percent of income are 81 percent more likely to own a highly emitting car than vehicle owners in the other 80 percent.
The top 20 percent income group covers three times the annual mileage of those in the bottom income bracket. The study found the carbon impact of the richest people’s driving habits to have damaged the climate more than “those of the poorest.”
The report comes amid increasing concern about the environmental, health, and safety impacts of the increasing popularity of SUVs. The proportion of SUV cars sold in the UK has risen in recent years from about a fifth to almost a third.
The study’s findings indicate that more people buying SUVs, which tend to be heavier than older car models, result in higher carbon emissions from non-electric cars bought in 2023 compared to those purchased in 2013.
Additionally, the research team called for customised charging on cars based on greenhouse gas emissions rather than emissions with direct public health effects, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx).
The report further argued that high greenhouse emissions have often been a product of richer people buying huge SUVs at a price that showed they could afford an electric car. The authors also noted that there was also a social justice argument for carbon-emission-based parking and road user charging.
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