SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Not Just Consumer Fraud, VW Scandal Called 'Crime Against Climate'
'Volkswagen did this intentionally and knew that the effect would be a staggering release of pollution.'
Oct 07, 2015
Joining the chorus of watchdogs who say Volkswagen (VW) must pay for its corporate crime, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) on Tuesday released an analysis charging that financial penalties for the company's environmental violations should be no less than $25.1 billion in the United States alone.
While VW Chief Executive Matthias Muller stressed on Wednesday that "there were no deaths, and our cars were, and are safe," the evidence suggests otherwise.
CBD points out that VW's vast cheating scandal on smog testing emitted powerful greenhouse gases equivalent to adding at least 32.2 million tons of extra carbon pollution into the atmosphere, or the emissions of 6.8 million cars.
"Make no mistake: What happened here is a national and international disaster, and history will mention it in the same breath as Exxon Valdez and the BP oil spill."
--Peter Galvin, Center for Biological Diversity
And that number could be even higher. Also Tuesday, CBD filed a Freedom of Information Act request (pdf) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking a full accounting of the actual amount of pollution released as a result of the emissions-fixing debacle--information that's likely to drive up the total estimated penalties.
Pollution caused by automobiles is known to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as lung cancer. The World Health Organization stated in September that globally, more than 3 million people die prematurely each year from prolonged exposure to air pollution.
"What Volkswagen did wasn't just consumer fraud, it was a crime against our climate and against future generations relying on us for a livable planet," said Peter Galvin, director of programs at CBD. "The public has a right to know exactly what greenhouse gas pollution was released and in what amounts. What's clear, though, is that this will have a far-reaching effect on our clean air and climate."
The $25.1 billion figure, which does not include potential penalties related to recalls, consumer payments, and other factors not related to environmental damage, includes $18 billion in Clean Air Act penalties and another $7.1 billion for the damage to the world's climate based on the social and ecological cost of burning fossil fuels.
"Make no mistake: What happened here is a national and international disaster, and history will mention it in the same breath as Exxon Valdez and the BP oil spill," Galvin said. "Volkswagen did this intentionally and knew that the effect would be a staggering release of pollution. It has to be held to account for what it's done--and we must signal to other companies that this sort of crime can never be tolerated."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Joining the chorus of watchdogs who say Volkswagen (VW) must pay for its corporate crime, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) on Tuesday released an analysis charging that financial penalties for the company's environmental violations should be no less than $25.1 billion in the United States alone.
While VW Chief Executive Matthias Muller stressed on Wednesday that "there were no deaths, and our cars were, and are safe," the evidence suggests otherwise.
CBD points out that VW's vast cheating scandal on smog testing emitted powerful greenhouse gases equivalent to adding at least 32.2 million tons of extra carbon pollution into the atmosphere, or the emissions of 6.8 million cars.
"Make no mistake: What happened here is a national and international disaster, and history will mention it in the same breath as Exxon Valdez and the BP oil spill."
--Peter Galvin, Center for Biological Diversity
And that number could be even higher. Also Tuesday, CBD filed a Freedom of Information Act request (pdf) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking a full accounting of the actual amount of pollution released as a result of the emissions-fixing debacle--information that's likely to drive up the total estimated penalties.
Pollution caused by automobiles is known to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as lung cancer. The World Health Organization stated in September that globally, more than 3 million people die prematurely each year from prolonged exposure to air pollution.
"What Volkswagen did wasn't just consumer fraud, it was a crime against our climate and against future generations relying on us for a livable planet," said Peter Galvin, director of programs at CBD. "The public has a right to know exactly what greenhouse gas pollution was released and in what amounts. What's clear, though, is that this will have a far-reaching effect on our clean air and climate."
The $25.1 billion figure, which does not include potential penalties related to recalls, consumer payments, and other factors not related to environmental damage, includes $18 billion in Clean Air Act penalties and another $7.1 billion for the damage to the world's climate based on the social and ecological cost of burning fossil fuels.
"Make no mistake: What happened here is a national and international disaster, and history will mention it in the same breath as Exxon Valdez and the BP oil spill," Galvin said. "Volkswagen did this intentionally and knew that the effect would be a staggering release of pollution. It has to be held to account for what it's done--and we must signal to other companies that this sort of crime can never be tolerated."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Joining the chorus of watchdogs who say Volkswagen (VW) must pay for its corporate crime, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) on Tuesday released an analysis charging that financial penalties for the company's environmental violations should be no less than $25.1 billion in the United States alone.
While VW Chief Executive Matthias Muller stressed on Wednesday that "there were no deaths, and our cars were, and are safe," the evidence suggests otherwise.
CBD points out that VW's vast cheating scandal on smog testing emitted powerful greenhouse gases equivalent to adding at least 32.2 million tons of extra carbon pollution into the atmosphere, or the emissions of 6.8 million cars.
"Make no mistake: What happened here is a national and international disaster, and history will mention it in the same breath as Exxon Valdez and the BP oil spill."
--Peter Galvin, Center for Biological Diversity
And that number could be even higher. Also Tuesday, CBD filed a Freedom of Information Act request (pdf) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking a full accounting of the actual amount of pollution released as a result of the emissions-fixing debacle--information that's likely to drive up the total estimated penalties.
Pollution caused by automobiles is known to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as lung cancer. The World Health Organization stated in September that globally, more than 3 million people die prematurely each year from prolonged exposure to air pollution.
"What Volkswagen did wasn't just consumer fraud, it was a crime against our climate and against future generations relying on us for a livable planet," said Peter Galvin, director of programs at CBD. "The public has a right to know exactly what greenhouse gas pollution was released and in what amounts. What's clear, though, is that this will have a far-reaching effect on our clean air and climate."
The $25.1 billion figure, which does not include potential penalties related to recalls, consumer payments, and other factors not related to environmental damage, includes $18 billion in Clean Air Act penalties and another $7.1 billion for the damage to the world's climate based on the social and ecological cost of burning fossil fuels.
"Make no mistake: What happened here is a national and international disaster, and history will mention it in the same breath as Exxon Valdez and the BP oil spill," Galvin said. "Volkswagen did this intentionally and knew that the effect would be a staggering release of pollution. It has to be held to account for what it's done--and we must signal to other companies that this sort of crime can never be tolerated."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.