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The Guardian view on climate equality: a richer life and real public abundance, not just more stuff | Editorial

The Global Justice Report offers a hopeful bargain: tax extreme wealth and replace consumer excess with social and economic security for all Humanity can raise living standards, reduce inequality and keep global heating within a 2C rise, according to a sweeping vision for planetary survival, the Guardian reported last week. In an age of ecological dread, that is a bracingly hopeful claim. The optimism came courtesy of the Global Justice Report, produced by Thomas Piketty’s World Inequality Lab. It arrives against the grain of the times. Anti‑migrant demagoguery, fossil-fuel revivalism, attacks on multilateralism and billionaire capture all militate against the redistributive state capacity that the report requires. Yet Prof Piketty’s team insists that decarbonisation, “sufficiency” and equality can mean a good life for most people. Continue reading...

Car industry pressing EU for further delay to Brexit EV tariffs

Exclusive: deal in 2020 had sought to stimulate local battery making but industry says it still cannot meet targets The EU and UK car industries are urging the European Commission to adjust the Brexit trade deal and suspend, for a second time, tariffs on imports of electric vehicles. They have expressed concerns that they will not be able to meet the conditions set for 1 January 2027 for tariff-free sales. This is because of strict rules of origin over what products can qualify for tariff-free trade under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement which has applied since 2021. Continue reading...

UK urged not to further weaken EV rules as CO2 impact revealed

British vehicles will emit extra 17m tonnes of CO2 by 2030 due to loophole allowing sale of more PHEVs, data suggests Campaigners have urged the government to resist calls to further water down electric car sale rules, as an analysis reveals that vehicles on UK roads will emit an extra 17m tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030 mostly because of changes last year. Parts of the car industry have urged ministers to review for a second time the rules that force manufacturers to sell increasing numbers of electric cars each year. Continue reading...

UK car sales hit post-Covid high as Chinese EV makers gain ground

Registrations are up 7% in May, with battery electric vehicles recording the fastest growth and Tesla jumping 45% British car sales rose in May to their strongest level for the month since before the Covid pandemic, driven in part by strong growth from the Chinese manufacturers BYD and Chery. Car registrations rose 7% to 160,662 during the month, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a lobby group. Continue reading...

Nissan maps out deal to build cars for Chery at its Sunderland plant

Non-binding agreement to start building vehicles in 2027 would safeguard jobs at UK’s largest car factory Nissan has agreed to look at building cars in northern England for Chinese manufacturer Chery, in a move that would secure jobs at the UK’s largest car factory. The Japanese carmaker on Wednesday said it had signed a non-binding agreement and that discussions were ongoing over contract manufacturing by Nissan for Chery, which is part-owned by the Chinese state. Continue reading...

On-street EV charging in UK is postcode lottery as drivers face council objections

Despite government pledges, more than 20 authorities will not allow gullies, citing safety, legal and parking concerns The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has said charger gullies to connect electric cars parked on streets will help cut costs for drivers, yet millions of UK households may be unable to use the simple technology because their local councils will still not allow charging cables to cross the pavement. Despite government promises to “slash red tape” and make it easier to put in gullies, more than 20 local authorities appear to be holding out against them. Continue reading...