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Europe needs to call the economic suicide hotline…
The EU’s increasingly centrally-planned society has taken another huge leap forward, as it bans fossil fuel mobility.
Source: AI generated image, dall.e 2.
Beginning in 2025, it will no longer be possible to register new fossil fuel vehicles in the EU. They will be completely banned.
This is what the European Union decided after MEPs approved its new draconian car-emissions measure on February 14. Though used diesel and gasoline engine vehicles will not be affected, they will end up being phased out as they reach their end of life.
EU’s fast track to zero
Car manufacturers, a major engine of the European economy, will have to gradually reduce the total CO₂ emissions of all the passenger cars they sell within a year. By 2035, CO₂ emissions from newly registered passenger cars will have to be zero.
Proponents argue that it provides European automakers a clear timeframe to switch production over to electric vehicles and will ultimately force them to become more completive internationally. It’s for their own good, Europe believes. The European Union’s aims to be “climate neutral” by 2050. Greens are calling it a victory for the planet.
Millions of jobs at risk
Critics, however, claim nobody is ready for such a draconian end to internal combustion engine vehicles and that the measure will put millions of jobs at risk. In Germany alone some 600,000 people work on gasoline and diesel engine car production. And approximately 20% of all German jobs are at least partly dependent on the automotive industry.
Also, both the European and German power grids are far from ready for the massive extra load. A fully electric transportation sector likely will not be possible without severe rationing and charging restrictions.
Experts also warn cars will become a luxury good affordable only for the rich and that overall mobility for regular citizens will be massively limited.
The center-right European People’s Party (EPP) warned of the “Havana effect”, where Europeans will be forced to drive vintage fossil fuel-burning cars after new sales are banned – because they won’t be able afford electric cars.
Another dream to be smashed by reality?
So what are the chances this new EU draconian policy will actually work in practice in the future? To get some hints, one only needs to look at Europe’s overall green movement and progress so far. It’s not pretty:
- Skyrocketing heating bills, fuel shortages
- Already unstable power grids, supply
- Food shortages and inflation
- Disrupted supply chains
- Double digit inflation on many goods
- Mass censorship (to keep debacles hidden)
- Deindustrialization and prosperity loss
Already, due to its power grid instability, the German government has been forced to extend the operating time of 3 nuclear power plants that had been planned to be taken off line December 31st, 2022. Policy reversals are unavoidable whenever pie-in-the-sky ideologies clash with realty.
Violent clash with reality
Europe’s dream of a “clean”, zero-emissions electric mobility also will lose in the collision with reality. Too many major drawbacks have been dismissed or outrightly denied by Europe’s green central planners. Thus the chances of a major back-to-reality energy policy reversal are almost certain in the future.
There isn’t going to be any soft landing for this reckless blind leap by the EU.
