This story was originally published by The Huffington Post and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
The world’s largest automaker has just given more ammunition to those who don’t trust that businesses are serious about preventing runaway climate change.
How ironic that Volkswagen, which has publicly signed a pledge to be a leader in “consistent, positive business engagement with policymakers on climate issues,” should be caught by the Environmental Protection Agency for allegedly cheating on emission-control standards.
Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagen’s CEO, apologized on Sunday after the EPA accused the company of installing software in its diesel-powered vehicles specifically designed to allow the cars to evade regulators and emit 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen oxide. The chemical adds to the buildup of smog, which is tied to asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
The impact of one pound of N2O on warming the atmosphere is almost 300 times that of one pound of carbon dioxide.
In a statement, Winterkorn said that “I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and the public,” an... Read more
