Pollution from cars and trucks is soaring, as traffic volume increases far more rapidly than automobile efficiency. Manufacturing executives warn that even big improvements in efficiency will be diluted by growth in overall production. Thus far they have not gone anywhere. It's easy to put more burdens on industry, but the problem is much more multi-faceted than that. What we are saying is that industry will do its best.
Critics note that Europe has benefited from a few one-time historical events.
The reunification of Germany in 1990 led to a huge reduction in emissions, because the former East Germany's bankrupt and filthy factories and power plants were quickly demolished. Between 1990 and 1995, carbon dioxide output in eastern Germany plunged by nearly half, to 172 million tons from 305 million. Britain got a similar boost when the government abandoned protections for domestic coal producers, which sparked a rapid shift to cleaner natural gas. As Europe's moribund economy shows new signs of life, some energy-conservation projections are already falling by the wayside. The Netherlands Federation of Industry, for example, committed itself to improving its energy efficiency by 2 percent a year.