If the Biden administration's push for electric vehicles is successful, by 2050, 60% to 70% of the cars on the road will be electric, which will drastically reduce U.S. emissions...
The U.S. government has approved $7.5 billion in nationwide funding for electric vehicle charging stations and set a goal of electric vehicles making up 50 percent of new vehicle sales by 2030. The U.S. exported $8 billion worth of used passenger vehicles in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The used car regulatory environment in Nigeria and 65 other countries is "very weak", resulting in large exports, more than half of which are in Africa.
Nigeria alone imports about $720 million worth of used cars from the US, making it the second-largest destination for US used cars. The United Arab Emirates tops the chart for used cars flowing out of the United States. The issue mirrors the widespread export of plastic waste from the United States to other poorer countries.
The rise of the middle class in developing countries, coupled with rapid urbanization and lack of public transportation, means that there is a huge demand for used cars in these countries, as is the demand for used car supply in countries such as the United States.
"While they support mobility, used vehicles face serious environmental and public health challenges," said Festival Godwin Boateng, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University's Earth Institute. "They are often overaged, heavily contaminated, and prone to failure and collapse."
Cars exported abroad are often older, emit more carbon and harmful pollutants, and are not allowed on local roads. "Vehicles that fail emissions tests in California are more likely to be exported," said Lucas Davis, a professor at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business who has studied used car exports to Mexico.
According to market analysis, if a Biden administration pushes EVs to succeed, by 2050, 60% to 70% of the cars on the road will be EVs, which will significantly reduce U.S. emissions. But climate only cares about absolute emissions, and exporting gas-powered cars means carbon is still entering the global atmosphere and causing temperatures to rise.
The United Nations Environment Programme has called on exporting and importing countries to impose stricter rules.
Inge Anderson, executive director of UN Environment, said in 2020: “Developed countries must stop exporting vehicles that fail environmental and safety checks and are not considered roadworthy in their own countries, while importing countries should introduce stricter quality standards. "
Countries such as South Africa have banned the import of used cars, and Mauritius has a policy that allows the import of cars built within the past three years and lowers taxes on both new and used hybrid and electric vehicles.
A global plan to restrict international trade in used cars must include other major exporters, including the European Union, China and Japan. Without American leadership, all efforts could end up polluting the environment.
