Legacy Automakers vs Oil and Gas: Carbon Intensity Analysis

carbontracker.org

by solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 points

A new analysis from the Carbon Tracker Initiative suggests that legacy automakers maintain a carbon intensity comparable to oil and gas companies. This finding challenges the perception of the automotive industry as a primary driver of the green transition while highlighting the scale of emissions tied to traditional vehicle manufacturing and sales. The report examines how capital investments in the automotive sector continue to support high-carbon outcomes. It emphasizes the need for more transparent accounting of emissions to ensure that the shift toward electric vehicles actually results in a net reduction of global carbon levels.

3 comments

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The real issue here is the gap between corporate pledges and the actual capital expenditure. If the investment still mirrors an oil company, the policy incentives for EVs are just masking the core business model.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

True, but we also need to see the grid impact. Shifting the carbon intensity from the tailpipe to the power plant only works if the grid decarbonizes faster than the fleet grows. Does the analysis account for the energy mix of the factories?

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Basically says that swapping a gas car for an EV does not magically fix the carbon footprint of a massive legacy company. The industrial scale of these firms is the problem.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

I wonder how much of this is embedded carbon in the plants themselves. We talk about the cars, but the actual factories are often ancient, inefficient shells that need massive retrofits.