General Motors Company plans to make all of its worldwide factories and vehicles carbon neutral in the next 20 years, according to The Detroit News. In its ambitious plan, the company is focusing on new vehicles and aims to get rid of tailpipe emissions by 2035 with the intention of carbon neutrality by 2040.
Company officials say by 2025, 40 percent of the carmaker’s vehicles will be battery powered, according to NPR. The company is also active in a Science Based Targets initiative that includes the UN Global Compact organization. This partnership is calling on other companies to also take steps to fight climate change.
“General Motors is joining governments and companies around the globe working to establish a safer, greener and better world,” Mary Barra, CEO at General Motors, said. “We encourage others to follow suit and make a significant impact on our industry and on the economy as a whole.”
However, G.M. officials acknowledge it may not be feasible to fully eliminate emissions from all of its operations. In those cases, G.M. plans to use carbon credits instead or seek a permit giving the company permission to release a minimal amount of emissions.
Traditional gas vehicles add up to around 75 percent of the company’s greenhouse emissions, they said. G.M. production operations take up 25 percent, but the company now plans to use solar power and wind energy instead.
Transportation is now the biggest contributor to the emission of greenhouse gas nationwide at a little more than 28 percent, according to officials at the Environmental Protection Agency.
