Car-Ban

BBC: EU 'should ban inefficient cars'

The EU should ban the sale of cars that do under 35 miles to the gallon, the ex-chairman of oil giant Shell says.

"Government's job is to set the framework in which industry can compete," he added. "The market is a magical thing - it will meet people's convenience but it needs guiding."

Compare this to President Bush's recent Energy Independence Act of 2007

It specifies a national standard of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, which will increase fuel economy standards by 40 percent and save billions of gallons of fuel.

The President threw an incredibly soft, slow, and fat ball pitch to car manufacturers in America. He laid down a deadline of 14 years from now to increase mileage to the standard that is already greatly in effect in Europe. Its not exactly on the cutting edge of the curve.

“A man builds a house in England with the expectation of living in it and leaving it to his children; we shed our houses in America as easily as a snail does his shell”

Harriet Beecher Stowe