At the beginning of this article, it should be stated that the need to find solutions to the environmental problems we face today is, or should be, a top priority for everyone, even if there still is a debate concerning the facts and specifics of Global Warming (or Climate Change).
Looking at the laws and measures taken by governments and regional institutions in the last 25 years, anyone should be able to notice the similarities between what was done in the end of the 1990s and what is being done and we are witnessing today.
In the last years of the 20th century; in the kick-off of the heat of the environmental movement, there was a push to do something serious and effective regarding CO2 emissions, which are the main cause, according to experts, of Global Warming. This led European governments to come up with a mechanism that would reduce the number of old cars in circulation and, at the same time, encourage citizens to get rid of their aging vehicles and substitute them with new ones that use unleaded petrol. This was to be done by offering discounts for those who came and handed over their 10-year-old, or older, cars and signed in to buy new ones. This happened between 1998 and the first years of the new millennium.
In Italy, for example, the economic incentive offered for the scrapping of cars amounted to approximately 1 million lire (about 500 euros) for each old vehicle delivered for demolition. This incentive was combined with a discount on the purchase price of the new vehicle.
That was it, or at least that was what everyone thought; “it is done, we made that huge effort, we did our part and now we can go on with our lives”. But what were the results?
While many point out the positive points, others see it differently and insist that it did the opposite to what it was promoted for. According to a spokesman for the Italian environmental group Legambiente, the policy had positive effects on the environment by reducing the number of older, polluting vehicles on the road, improving air quality in European cities.
The policy, as environmental expert Fabio Toninelli argued, also "encouraged people to buy new cars, which were generally safer and less polluting than older models" (qtd. in The Local Italy).
But positive was only one side of the argument, as others explained that the real effects were completely different; Fabio Toninelli indicated that the policy encouraged people to buy new cars, which only contributed to traffic congestion and air pollution in the long run. The policy also did not address the issue of affordability. As Monica Ridzi, a spokesperson for the Italian consumer association Codacons, noted, "the incentives were not sufficient to help low-income families replace their old cars with new ones". In other words, people who had older cars did not have the financial ability to buy new ones, and that took away their only means of private transportation. The measures did not take that aspect into consideration; the middle class and poor citizens were not even thought about. Not to mention in what state and in which dumpsters or wasteland all those old cars finished.
The environment was but a facet of that policy, because, even if not directly talked about, revitalizing the economies of European states and increasing the profits of car makers were important elements of that whole equation; according to Reuters, the policy was successful in boosting new car sales, which in turn helped to stimulate the Italian and Spanish economies.
Now, after 25 years, the whole story is repeating.
Car sales have slowed down recently due to a variety of factors, such as changes in consumer preferences and the longevity of newer cars. But this is also the normal cycle of production and consumption of such products; people who bought cars in the last 5-10 years, are not considering buying new ones, and if they do, the used cars they will sell, will remain in circulation allowing lower-income families to have a private means of transportation. How can car makers boom again? The EU comes to the rescue… Again... And the argument is the same: The environment.
The European Union is now proposing policies to incentivize the use of electric vehicles as part of its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One such policy is the "Green Deal," which aims to make Europe the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The "Green Deal" proposes a series of measures to promote the use of electric vehicles, including tax incentives for electric car buyers and the development of charging infrastructure across the EU.
The new policy includes a target of reducing emissions from new cars by 55% by 2030, compared to 2021 levels. This target will be achieved through a combination of incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles and penalties for car manufacturers who do not meet the emissions target.
“After months of negotiations, the European Union reached a political agreement this week to effectively ban new nonelectric cars from 2035 onward.” (Dennis).
There has always been an effort exerted by big companies around the world to keep themselves and their products dominant and relevant, and of course, to keep making huge profits. In some fields or business activities, achieving that objective requires developing products, refining their qualities, and making them more obtainable and affordable. But what if that were not the case? What if the companies wanted to sell more but, at the same time, keep raising their prices and increasing their profits? And what if governments made it legal to do so?
This is not a hypothetical question, it refers to actual events that have been taking place for more than 25 years in many Western countries, especially the European Union.
Works Cited
Deutsche Welle. "Italy Scraps Car Subsidy Scheme, but Leaves Green Motoring in Reverse." DW, 10 July 2012.
Toninelli, Fabio. "Pros and Cons: What Italy's New 'Eco-Bonus' Means for You." The Local Italy, 16 Feb. 2018.
Reuters. “WRAPUP 3-French, Italian car sales up on scrappage schemes" Reuters, 1 Apr. 2010,
https://www.reuters.com/article/autos-idCNTOE63006G20100401
Dennis, Brady. "The EU wants all new cars to be electric by 2035. Here's what that could look like." The Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2022,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/10/28/eu-electric-cars-2035/
