The agreement was not signed by China, Germany, or the United States.
Scottland asked automakers and countries to promise to eliminate fossil-fuel-powered vehicles by 2040 as part of the COP26 climate conference. The Glasgow Declaration on Zero Emission Vans and Cars is still not being embraced by the auto industry. Only six companies signed the agreement.
It was rejected by major automakers such as BMW, Honda and Hyundai, Stellantis, Toyota, Volkswagen Group, and Stellantis. Unnamed sources in the industry told Reuters that the agreement asked companies to invest in technology but not to fulfill government promises to create an EV charging infrastructure.
The pledge was not signed by countries with large auto industries, such as China, Germany, and the United States. A spokesperson for the German environment ministry said Reuters the country needed clarification on whether a fuel made from renewable energy and used in a combustion engine is included under the plan.
New Zealand, Poland, India and Poland all agreed to the plan. Other cities that signed up included Seoul South South Korea and Sao Paulo in Brazil.
It is worth noting, however, that other countries may make similar pledges to lower emissions. The UK, for example, bans diesel- and gas-powered vehicles by 2030 and hybrids by 2035. Canada will ban combustion engines in 2035. These plans are also in place for California, and New York.
Representatives from almost 200 countries will attend the COP26 conference in Glasgow. The goal is to find an agreement to limit global temperature rise to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 Celsius).
However, this is unlikely to be the case. According to Reuters, the Climate Action Tracker research group claims that the current pledges would raise the temperature by 4.32 degrees Fahrenheit (2.24 degrees Celsius) by 2100.