Clean Cars

Global warming is already affecting our world.  It leads to rising sea levels, more intense storm activity, stronger extremes in temperature fluctuations, disruption in habitat and agriculture, and other problems.  How much worse these problems get depends on how early we take action to adopt solutions.

One of the biggest steps we can take toward addressing global warming is to make better cars.  Ten other states have already adopted stricter standards for global warming pollution from cars and trucks.  Maryland should join this group. 

Maryland PIRG is working to pass the Clean Cars Act.  This policy would require major auto manufacturers to make and market cars with reduced global warming emissions.  Cleaner cars would be more widely available on Maryland new car lots if this bill passes, and the manufacturers would be required to structure their sales incentives to ensure they sell as many clean cars as gas hogs.

The Maryland Clean Cars Act would result in a reduction of 4.4 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution in 2020. Global warming pollution from cars and light trucks has increased by 32 percent since 1990 and is projected to rise another 28 percent by 2020 if the state doesn’t take action to counter the trend.