Équiterre is sounding the alarm on light trucks

More expensive, more polluting, more energy intensive: the portrait of light trucks drawn by the Quebec non-profit organization Équiterre is gloomy, even very alarming. Greenhouse gas emissions from light trucks have increased 169% in 30 years, while those from classic cars have fallen 9%. However, the number of light trucks circulating in Quebec tripled during this period. How to reverse this trend?

Chloe Bourquin
Press

To answer this question, we should already ask ourselves why so many light trucks are sold in Quebec. They now represent 69% of the automotive market – against 6% for electric cars. The report states that in 2019, “for every electric car sold, about 11 light gasoline trucks were sold.” According to Andréanne Brazeau, mobility analyst at Équiterre, this “era of the“ truckization ”of the vehicle fleet” has multiple causes.

Paradoxically, the regulation on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions tends to tip the balance in favor of light trucks. “It was designed so that the constraints are less important for large vehicles. So the manufacturers will produce more, ”she explains. As a result, the supply for small cars is becoming increasingly scarce.

Advertising creates the need

Advertising also plays a central role, according to Andréanne Brazeau: it creates “narratives”. For example, having a large new vehicle is associated with virility and success. Advertising also creates a false sense of security. However, the report states that “the heavier a vehicle, the higher the frequency of collisions and the risk of death for those involved in a collision”. The figures confirm it: in an accident, there are more “seriously injured pedestrians when an SUV [véhicule utilitaire sport] is involved (10.6%) compared to when no light truck is involved (6.7%) ”, we can read in the report.

On the demand side, the social aspect also comes into play: if everyone has a light truck, a person wishing to buy a new car will be more inclined to consider this option. “And it’s rare that someone who’s had three SUVs in their life then switches to a Smart,” she jokes. “But in a context of climate crisis, we cannot think that the ecological transition will be to have only electric pick-ups in 50 years. ”

Profound changes in our life choices

The initiative Reducing our footprint, of the organization Vivre en Ville, aims precisely to sensitize the population and decision-makers to reduce their energy impact. For Christian Savard, Managing Director of Vivre en Ville, “small everyday actions” will not be enough to reduce our overall energy footprint. “What can make the real difference, […] it’s more about life choices, ”he emphasizes.

These lifestyle choices are made, for example, when it comes to thinking about the location of your future home in relation to your workplace, but also when buying a car. “There is an individual and collective turn to take to get out of this bottomless energy well,” he says. ” [Il faudrait] use your car less, have fewer cars [en circulation], use other means of transport… And for the cars that remain, they should be smaller and ideally electric. ”

The crucial role of decision-makers

However, such choices cannot be made without a suitable environment, according to Christian Savard. “We want to challenge citizens, but also decision-makers: politicians, governments, companies …”, he enumerates. “We must transform living environments so that citizens can more easily make choices that help reduce their energy footprint: more public transport, more infrastructure for active transport. [à pied, à vélo], protect local shops… ”

“The sustainable mobility options must be the most logical, the most affordable and the most accessible,” concludes Andréanne Brazeau.

Read the Équiterre report