In a proposal that reveals a shocking lack of environmental awareness, the Liberal Democrat council in Richmond, south-west London, intends to make owners of so-called gas guzzling vehicles pay more to park outside their homes because of emissions of plant food gas, carbon dioxide.
 
The owner of two popular 4x4 cars could pay £750 a year for parking, compared with the £200 they pay now, though it would be free to park so-called environmentally friendly cars.
 
"Imagine the scene" says ABD Environment Spokesman, Ben Adams.

“Two nurses share a house in Richmond. Both drive a 4x4 as they offer good safety credentials including a clear view of the road. They park their cars outside their home, and take the bus to work in the NHS each day. For this, Richmond wants to sting them for £750, nearly four times the current cost. It's claimed that taking these nurses' money will save the planet. Who are they kidding apart from themselves?"
 
"This vision from LibDemLand is dreamworld. Any car with a higher than average fuel consumption already costs its owner proportionately more in the tax and duty on petrol. If every 4x4 in the country was taken off the roads overnight it would not be possible to detect any difference in global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Our climate would be unaffected. This excuse for extortionate taxation is transparent, it's a blatant lifestyle tax.”

The Liberal Democrats are also wrong to be so sure that a hybrid is more environmentally friendly than a 4x4. A recent study by CNW Marketing Research has shown that the total energy cost and therefore carbon dioxide emissions over the full lifecycle of a Hummer 4x4 are 40% less than a typical hybrid car. This is known as the dust-to-dust energy cost and is a true reflection of total emissions.
 
The energy use and emissions resulting from design, manufacture, shipping, servicing and recycling of cars are being overlooked. When these energy costs and associated emissions are taken into account, many 4x4s on the road are far more environmentally friendly than the current generation of hybrids.
 
The Liberal Democrats' plan turns eco-reality on its head, it should be rejected out of hand.
 

 
Note for Editors:
 
Report from CNW Marketing Research Inc: the energy cost per mile of a Hummer H3 4x4, in terms of dust-to-dust energy consumption & allied carbon emissions, is 40% lower than the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrids.