
All the environmental gains made by electric cars have been wiped out by booming SUV sales, which now account for more global emissions than the entire aviation industry
- A report from the International Energy Agency blames SUVs for global emissions
- Electric car sales grew by 2million in 2018, but SUV sales rose more
- There are more than 200million SUVs, compared to 5.1million electric cars
According to a new study from the International Energy Agency, the decreases in global emissions caused by electric vehicles has been effectively canceled by gas guzzling sport utility vehicles.
On average electric vehicles produce about half as much emissions as traditional gas driven cars.
There were more than 5.1million electric cars in circulation globally in 2018, two million more than in 2017.
A new report from the International Energy Agency blames booming sport utility vehicles for rise in global emissions and increasing demand for oil
By comparison there were more than 200million SUVs around the world in 2018.
SUVs accounted for 40 percent of all car sales, and in the US one out of every two car sales is an SUV.
Almost half of global SUV sales come from the United States.
As the number of SUVs has exploded, so has the amount of emissions they produce.
Today, SUVs are the second biggest source of emissions in the world, behind only the power sector.

The United States is the biggest market in the world for SUV sales, with one out of every two cars sold being an SUV
SUV produce more emissions are higher than the aviation industry, as well as all other industrial sectors combined, according to a report from Electrek.
‘The world urgently needs to put a laser-like focus on bringing down global emissions,’ the IEA’s Faith Birol said.
‘This calls for a grand coalition encompassing governments, investors, companies and everyone else who is committed to tackling climate change.’
While it may look like electric vehicles are currently losing the fight, the IEA predicts that they’ll eventually balance SUVs out.

The IEA remains optimistic about the future of electric vehicles, anticipating that by 2040 there will be more than 330million around the world
The IEA predicts that by 2040 there will be more than 330million electric cars on the roads around the world, and another 40million commercial electric vehicles like buses and trucks.
This shift will cause the global oil demand to plateau at a little over 100million barrels a day.

The IEA predicts that starting around 2030, global demand for oil will begin to plateau
One of the catalysts for this transition could be the growing popularity of electric trucks and SUVs.
On November 21st, Elon Musk will offer a new peak at what that future will look when he unveils Tesla’s anticipated electrick pickup, which he has nicknamed ‘Cybertruck.’
Both Ford and GM have also announced plans to release electric pickups in the next few years.
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