This Is Where Dirty Old Cars Go to Die

May 19, 2022 7:00 AMThe electric vehicle revolution is gathering speed—but what happens to all those polluting cars already on the road?

Emissions from cars keep rising. In 2000 the global carbon emissions from passenger road vehicles were 2.5 gigatonnes. The most recent year for which the data is available increased to 3.6 gigatonnes. The reason? People buy gas-guzzlers. The number of new vehicles sold in the United States increased by 2.5 percent in 2011. In the UK, over one million new vehicles were rolled off dealer lots. The good news? People are trading in their fossil fuel vehicles for cleaner alternatives. More than half a million Americans bought an electric vehicle last year, while more than 750,000 were sold in the UK. Last year, EV sales accounted for 8.3 percent of new light vehicle sales. The full story of trading in a Toyota corolla for a Toyota Prius isn't being told.

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