The European Parliament has approved a proposal to ban the sale of new cars powered by combustion engines after 2035. The measure seeks to intensify the bloc’s fight against climate change through a faster transition to electric vehicles.

European lawmakers voted on Wednesday in Strasbourg, France, a law that will require automakers operating in bloc countries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 100 percent by the middle of the next decade. Under the measure, the sale in the 27 European Union (EU) countries of new cars powered by gasoline or diesel would be banned.

The EU members also backed a 55% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from cars in 2030 compared to 2021. The measure increases the automobile industry’s obligation to reduce CO₂ emissions by 37.5 percent on average by the end of this decade compared to last year.

The CO₂ reduction target in 2030 and the ban on combustion engines in 2035 were proposed last year by the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm. Cars account for about 12% of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions.

EU member country governments still need to approve the bill in the coming weeks before a final agreement on stricter CO₂ emission requirements from cars is stitched together. The new emissions law will be considered as part of a package of draft climate legislation from the bloc covering a range of other polluting industries.

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Source: Reuters | Valor Econômico