If proposed CO2 regulations from the European Union are not changed, manufacturers like Bentley and Ferrari will find their growth stopped, and their production limited to luxurious golf carts. Mass car makers will have to spend billions on artificially low fuel efficiency standards, when currently they are already producing fantastically frugal cars. This will waste huge amounts of investment, raise the cost of motoring, and in my opinion, do absolutely zilch to change the climate.

    One of the reasons this is happening is because of corrupt politicians seeking new ways to lord it over us. They are helped by lazy journalists who jump on the band-wagon to ingratiate themselves with politicians, and soften up the public. Slack use of words is adding to this problem. For instance, the media now routinely talks about CO2 being a pollutant. It isn’t. I recently tried to interest the Guild in this issue; so far without success. Does the SGMW have strong feelings about this? If so, read on……  

    This is the letter I’ve written to the Guild…. 

Chris Wright, Chairman, Guild of Motoring Writers

from: Neil Winton

    I’ve been trying as a private citizen to persuade the BBC to stop peddling misinformation about cars and pollution but to no avail. I thought it would be a good idea for the Guild to mobilise its resources to help in this, but to my amazement, I see that we have perpetrated one of these errors in one of our own press releases.

    The BBC, and much of the mainstream media, regularly fall into mistake of talking about cars “which are more fuel efficient and which therefore emit less pollution”.

    I’ve pleaded with the BBC Information unit. Listen, the problem of pollution was solved with the catalytic converter. Cars today are spectacularly clean. Even diesels will soon be California-compliant. You’re confusing, assuming, that CO2 is a pollutant. It isn’t. Sure, some say excessive use of CO2 might warm the planet, but that’s another argument. You’re confusing the two. Please can you change your later news broadcasts to make this clear.

    Nothing happens.

    The Guild must be as concerned as anyone about truth in reporting about the auto industry.

    Do my fellow members think this is an area where we should seek more influence to point out inaccurate, misleading, or false propaganda about cars?

    As for that press release, this was about a carbon-offset scheme called Climate Care.

    “As we all become increasingly aware of our responsibilities towards minimising global pollution, the Guild has sought a way in which motoring journalists can offset the carbon emissions they produce during their annual mileage,” says the press release in the opening paragraph.

     And the idea that this Climate Care initiative makes any sense in fighting “climate change” is ridiculous, in my opinion.

    By all means lets raise real money to help the poor of Honduras, but to link it with cutting our output of CO2 so that guilt can somehow be assuaged is crazy.

    I don’t know where Guild Committee member Richard Aucock gets his information from, but before the Guild puts out another statement like this, could we bring a bit of realism to bear first?     

   He says - “It’s important that, as a profession, we all do our bit by addressing the effects we have on the global environment. Through organisations such as Climate Care, everybody can easily do their bit. If we can encourage members, non-members and employers to join in this scheme, the world can only benefit.”

    I would say that, as a profession, we should check our facts first, and make sure we present balanced arguments, not go for feel-good, sentimental and misguided “solutions”.

 Neil Winton – April 8, 2008