The increasing global appetite for SUVs is creating a significant hurdle in the fight against climate change. If SUVs were classified as a country, they would rank as the sixth largest emitter of carbon dioxide worldwide, surpassing even entire nations. In 2021 alone, these vehicles released over 900 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. This staggering figure underscores the urgent need to address the environmental impact of International Suv popularity.
The surge in SUV sales since 2010 has added substantially to global emissions. To counteract this growth, the global electric vehicle (EV) fleet would need to be double its current size. While the encouraging rise in EV sales in 2021 is projected to offset the emissions from the 35 million SUVs purchased instead of standard-sized cars, this is merely holding the line, not reducing overall emissions. The continued preference for SUVs threatens to negate the progress made by the electric vehicle revolution.
Addressing SUV emissions requires a strategic policy framework focused on curbing their increasing dominance in the automotive market. A crucial aspect is accelerating the transition to electric vehicles across all segments, particularly SUVs. Simultaneously, incentives should be implemented to encourage the replacement of older, more polluting petrol and diesel SUVs with cleaner alternatives. Policymakers must also pay close attention to the average vehicle size on the road, as larger vehicles inherently consume more energy. Electric SUVs, while cleaner than their combustion engine counterparts, require significantly larger batteries – around 70 kilowatt-hours compared to the average EV car battery of 50 kilowatt-hours. This increased battery size in SUVs also drives up demand for critical minerals essential for battery production.
Recognizing this challenge, some governments are beginning to take action. France and Germany, for example, have introduced taxes specifically targeting large and high-emission vehicles, including SUVs. These kinds of policies, aimed directly at SUVs, are essential to paving the way for a truly sustainable and low-carbon passenger vehicle sector globally. Without focused interventions, the international demand for SUVs will continue to undermine global efforts to reduce transport emissions and combat climate change.
This analysis is based on data from the World Energy Outlook 2021 and the Global Fuel Economy Initiative 2021.
(This analysis was supported by IEA Energy Analyst Leonardo Paoli)
