Statement: General Motors pledges carbon neutrality by 2040

Media Contacts
Morgan Hayward

Former Director, Destination: Zero Carbon, Environment America

Automaker also aspires to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035

Environment America

WASHINGTON — General Motors announced Thursday that it plans to minimize carbon emissions from its global products and operations enough by 2040 that it will be carbon neutral. The company also signed the Business Ambition Pledge for 1.5 degrees Celsius, aligning its emissions targets with the Paris Agreement’s standard to mitigate global warming. 

To reach these lofty, yet necessary, goals, GM aspires to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035. Environment America and U.S. PIRG have been calling for all automakers to only sell electric new cars by 2035 through our Destination: Zero Carbon and Transform Transportation campaigns. 

In response, Wendy Wendlandt, acting president of Environment America, released the following statement:

“Setting science-based targets is a fundamental step to reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Kudos to GM for signalling its ambition to reach destination zero carbon.

But aspirations mean little without actions, and every automaker, including GM, will need to stop selling gas-powered cars no later than 2035 for us to avoid catastrophic climate change. We will keep pushing the entire auto industry to innovate as fast as possible to protect our future.”

U.S. PIRG Environment Campaigns Director Matt Casale issued the following statement:

“Pollution from our transportation system — led by the cars and trucks we drive everyday — is the nation’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and a significant contributor to worsening air quality that makes Americans sick. To tackle this problem, we need all hands on deck. We’re glad to see GM stepping up and look forward to working with them and other automakers to implement a concrete plan to phase out the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035 at the latest.” 

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