The EU imports 97 percent of their crude oil, which is needed to refine diesel and still import a further 10% of their refined diesel.
It is somewhat amazing that Europe hasn't embraced electrification even more but taxing diesel use to encourage using it wisely is a smart geopolitical play given their situation.
Taxation on crude oil and its byproducts is largely for each member state to decide, as is electrification policy.
In some cases the EU steps in; for example with CO2 emission quotas, electrification targets, and largely regulating how countries operate in between them (for example, if France sells energy to Spain, it has to follow some bloc regulations if I am not mistaken).
I find it somewhat amusing how people insist in commenting on EU as if it was something it is not.
Then your comment is sort of pointless too. Unless you want to argue "every country in the world that does not produce enough oil and does not have enough refining capacity for said oil should electrify".
I do argue that every oil importing country should electrify.
EU (collectively or independently) is distinct only in that it is ahead of the pack on many of these topics, hence why the Netherlands diesel price is higher than the US price, as noted by the comment I replied to.
But EU countries could and should still go further.
By all means, I don't disagree. I just have a policy of stressing the point that EU is not a country when people comment on it as of it had the powers of a national government.
In fact, as someone that lives in one of those countries, I am actually viewing the events in the middle east with optmism. The closure of Hormuz and Bab-el Mandeb are the sort of harsh push that we needed to get out of our collective asses and cut our dependency on a resource that is in every angle you look at terrible for those who depend on it.
I am not naive, and I know that it is not possible to cut it entirely (oil is used for more than fuel). But if we stop depending on it for vehicles, electricity generation, heating and ao on, it will make a huge difference already.
I personally think forcing less well off people to use worse modes of transport (or not travel at all) is not a well thought out scheme for reducing environmental impact.
For me, it doesn't matter because my main mode of transport is an EV - but it's a luxury I can afford. Many people that live around me cannot.
It just means these people donate more of their money to the wallets of already absurdly rich owners of companies like Shell and Exxon - instead of using it to enrich their own lives (see the increased profits these companies are making since Iran).
But at least on a positive note, EV sales in my country have never been higher since Trump invaded Iran, so it is somewhat triggering the well-off to finally make the ("scary") switch to EV's.
Comments
6 dollars per gallon is 1.37 EUR per liter... Here I am in the netherlands paying 2.74 EUR for a liter of diesel...
The EU imports 97 percent of their crude oil, which is needed to refine diesel and still import a further 10% of their refined diesel.
It is somewhat amazing that Europe hasn't embraced electrification even more but taxing diesel use to encourage using it wisely is a smart geopolitical play given their situation.
Tax was already high on diesel fuels and cars, which is fine. The most recent rise in price is only due to market prices going up.
EU is not a country.
Taxation on crude oil and its byproducts is largely for each member state to decide, as is electrification policy.
In some cases the EU steps in; for example with CO2 emission quotas, electrification targets, and largely regulating how countries operate in between them (for example, if France sells energy to Spain, it has to follow some bloc regulations if I am not mistaken).
I find it somewhat amusing how people insist in commenting on EU as if it was something it is not.
Ok, but my specific comment applies to a large degree to every EU country individually and as a bloc, so you are splitting hairs pointlessly.
Then your comment is sort of pointless too. Unless you want to argue "every country in the world that does not produce enough oil and does not have enough refining capacity for said oil should electrify".
Then singling out EU countries becomes silly.
I do argue that every oil importing country should electrify.
EU (collectively or independently) is distinct only in that it is ahead of the pack on many of these topics, hence why the Netherlands diesel price is higher than the US price, as noted by the comment I replied to.
But EU countries could and should still go further.
By all means, I don't disagree. I just have a policy of stressing the point that EU is not a country when people comment on it as of it had the powers of a national government.
In fact, as someone that lives in one of those countries, I am actually viewing the events in the middle east with optmism. The closure of Hormuz and Bab-el Mandeb are the sort of harsh push that we needed to get out of our collective asses and cut our dependency on a resource that is in every angle you look at terrible for those who depend on it.
I am not naive, and I know that it is not possible to cut it entirely (oil is used for more than fuel). But if we stop depending on it for vehicles, electricity generation, heating and ao on, it will make a huge difference already.
This caps the amount of CO2 you can emit; which is good :)
I personally think forcing less well off people to use worse modes of transport (or not travel at all) is not a well thought out scheme for reducing environmental impact.
For me, it doesn't matter because my main mode of transport is an EV - but it's a luxury I can afford. Many people that live around me cannot.
It just means these people donate more of their money to the wallets of already absurdly rich owners of companies like Shell and Exxon - instead of using it to enrich their own lives (see the increased profits these companies are making since Iran).
But at least on a positive note, EV sales in my country have never been higher since Trump invaded Iran, so it is somewhat triggering the well-off to finally make the ("scary") switch to EV's.