Australia could become a dumping ground for high-emissions cars – report

A UK climate change think tank has warned a lack of emissions policy could lead to some countries – including Australia – becoming dumping grounds for older, higher-polluting cars.

London-based not-for-profit think-tank Carbon Tracker released its report into vehicle emissions last week, claiming countries in the so-called ‘Global South’ – regions outside Europe and North America – are at greater risk of receiving cars with worse emissions due to a lack of emissions standards targets.

This includes Australia, which – unlike Europe, where new petrol and diesel cars will be banned from sale by 2035 – does not have any plans to phase out fossil fuel-powered vehicles nationwide.

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At present, the Australian Capital Territory is the only jurisdiction to announce its plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel passenger vehicles by 2035.

Criticisms about Australia’s lack of an emissions target have circled for years, with then-boss of Volkswagen Australia, Michael Bartsch, saying in 2018 local showrooms could become a dumping ground for dirtier cars.

While the Federal Government announced a plan to begin working on a motor vehicle emissions reduction scheme in April 2023 – largely through encouraging the uptake of electric cars – it is yet to implement any changes to legislation.

The announcement came on the same day that a report into new motor vehicle emissions in Australia found the car industry failed to meet its voluntary targets for the third year in a row.

According to Carbon Tracker, countries without emissions targets such as Australia could also miss out on imported used electric cars, as other regions have implemented recycling policies which incentivise reusing parts for future vehicles.

The think-tank’s report claims an implementation of policies which will encourage motorists to buy electric cars will reduce emissions, though previous studies have shown Australia’s dependence on coal-fired power plants reduces the effectiveness of battery-powered vehicles on greenhouse gases.

While this study was produced by the research arm of Japanese car giant Toyota – which has long been criticised for being late to the electric-car party amid its significant investments in hybrids – Mitsubishi also recently published data with almost identical results.