The International Energy Agency has called for a global end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035 as it argues for a “massive scaling up” of investment to boost energy security.
The intergovernmental group of mostly wealthy Western countries said progress on cutting emissions from vehicles “falls short” of what is needed to tackle climate change. Electric cars accounted for just over 1 per cent of all cars on the road in 2021, it said, but that needs to rise to 20 per cent to 25 per cent by 2030 to put the world on course for climate targets.
“Pathways compatible with 1.5C [the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels] indicate that this target date should be around 2035 for cars, for example,” it explained. At the Cop 26 United Nations Climate Change Conference hosted by the UK in Glasgow last November, dozens of national and regional governments, as well as major carmakers, pledged to work towards ending new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035 in leading markets and 2040 elsewhere.