BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- The state of
California Wednesday sued six of the world's largest automakers over global
warming, charging that greenhouse gases from their vehicles have caused billions
of dollars in damages.
The
lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California, was the first of
its kind to seek to hold manufacturers liable for the damages caused by their
vehicles' emissions, according to Bill Lockyer, the state attorney general.
The lawsuit names General Motors, Toyota Motor, Ford Motor
Co., Chrysler Motors, which is the U.S. arm of DaimlerChrysler of Germany, and
the North American units of Honda Motor and Nissan Motor of Japan.
"Vehicle emissions are the single most rapidly growing
source of the carbon emissions contributing to global warming," Lockyer
said, and he would seek "tens or hundreds of millions of dollars" from the
automakers.
The lawsuit follows a summer of record-breaking 49C (120F)
temperatures in California that killed more than 100 people, and comes less
than a month after California lawmakers adopted the nation's first global
warming law mandating a cut in greenhouse gas emissions.
"(California) just passed a new law to cut global warming
emissions by 25 percent and that's a good start and this lawsuit is a good next
step," said Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Club's Global Warming
Program.
Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of burning gasoline. Car
companies say the only way to meet California's emissions rules is to reduce
vehicle fuel consumption.
David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive
Research, a nonprofit organization that provides public research and forecasts
to the industry, said it would be tough for the industry to immediately meet
demands from some critics.
Adoption of diesel engine
emissions technology or gasoline-electric hybrids comes at great cost and
improving gas mileage would also probably involve smaller, lighter vehicles -- a
trade-off that is not attractive to consumers, he
added.
"These are not free technologies, they are very
expensive," Cole said. "Most people are price sensitive." Enditem
(Agencies)
