New car sales in Europe must be diesel and petrol-free before 2030 if the sector is to stay within its carbon budget for keeping global warming within 1.5 degrees.

That’s according to a new report commissioned by Greenpeace Belgium and conducted by the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

The report, which offers two scenarios for staying within the sector’s carbon budget for 1.5 degrees of warming, suggests plug-in hybrids would disappear from sale by 2035 at the latest, or before 2030 in the tougher scenario.

Rosie Rogers, clean air campaigner at Greenpeace, said: “Road transport is one of the few EU sectors where CO2 emissions continue to grow. Phasing-out diesel and petrol cars will benefit the climate, help solve the air pollution crisis and improve quality of life for everyone.

“The speed of the transition is the crucial point. It’s clear most car makers and policy makers are still at least a decade short of meaningful action to clean up our roads.

“The measure of car companies must now be the date they will rid themselves of petrol and diesel. And while many companies are making the right noises on electric, only a small minority have begun to talk phase-out dates.”

The European Parliament is currently considering proposals for revised CO2 standards for new cars and vans that would mandate reduced CO2 emissions by 15% by 2025, and 30% by 2030 compared to their limits in 2021.

In the UK sales of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned by 2040, while many other countries have opted for much earlier phase-out dates including Scotland (2032), Ireland (2030), Norway (2025), and Netherlands (2030).

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