Windows of Opportunity 

1st December 2023

Ban SUVs 

“Unless you live in the snow, desert, or on a farm, you don’t need a two ton tank. Urban SUVS accelerate climate change, are a danger to cyclists & pedestrians and increase traffic congestion, as well as being conspicuous consumption”. (1)

“The majority of British motorists want an outright ban on highly polluting vehicles, such as 4x4s and SUVs, to stop them from entering well-populated areas like town and city centres. According to a survey of 1,000 UK drivers, 59 percent said they would support a ban on larger vehicles like 4x4s, SUVs and other large vehicles. A further 39 percent would support the mandatory introduction of Clean Air Zones in every town and city in the UK, as has been seen in the likes of Bath and Birmingham.”(2)

“By the early part of this year more than half of all new car sales in Europe were SUVs or SUV-styled cars. Between 2001 and 2022, in an outbreak of ongoing auto-obesity, the average kerb weight of cars sold in Europe increased by 21%. The International Energy Agency has said that annual CO2 emissions from the world’s 330m SUVs reached almost 1bn tonnes last year. According to the government, the transport sector is the biggest source of CO2 emissions in the UK (accounting for 34% of the total), with the “large majority” coming from road transport.” (3)

(1) https://bansuvs.org/

(2) https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1700962/drivers-support-suv-4×4-ban-clean-air-zones-just-stop-oil

(3) https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/nov/05/monsters-of-the-road-what-should-the-uk-do-about-suvs

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Author: Judith Russenberger

Environmentalist and theologian, with husband and three grown up children plus one cat, living in London SW14. I enjoy running and drinking coffee - ideally with a friend or a book.

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