The Swedish government, supported by the Centre Party and the Liberals, have announced they will be looking to ban the sale of new cars that use fossil fuels in the next ten years.
The proposed ban has been met with positive comments from green groups but others, such as those who actually work in the car industry, are highly critical of the proposal, Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Radio reports.
BIL Sweden, an industry organisation for the manufacturers of cars, trucks ad buses, said the ban could prove incredibly costly for vehicle manufacturers and potentially for consumers as well.
Jessica Alenius, Vice President of BIL Sweden, said that she did not think the ban was a good way to proceed, saying that the government should offer incentives instead — such as lower taxes, parking fees, and congestion taxes for those using electric cars.
Johan Andersson, CEO of the Swedish Petroleum & Biofuels Institute, was also critical, saying Swedish lawmakers should not deviate too much from laws in other countries, and adding that a ban could impact the competitiveness of Swedish industry.
“We must create the conditions for Swedish industry and the Swedish business community to be competitive in a global market. Doing things that go completely out of line with our world is a bad socio-economic decision,” he said.
Sweden, the home of climate alarmist teen activist Greta Thunberg, is well-known as a hub for environmental activism.
The Swedish Greens, in particular, have made several controversial policy proposals in recent years, including demands that the European Union take in so-called “climate refugees”.
A similar proposal was made earlier in the month by the Green Party in Germany, which proposed granting German passports to all “climate refugees” — a number that could total up to 140 million people by 2050, according to some estimates.
Germany’s total population, including existing migrants, is estimated at around 82 million.