California preps carbon labels for car number plates

Plans for a £25 a day congestion charge on the most polluting vehicles may have been axed by London mayor Boris Johnson, but that has not stopped California stepping up its attempts to further stigmatise drivers of so-called "gas guzzlers".

According to reports in the Independent, the state is poised to introduce "global warming" stickers that will be displayed on the number plates of new cars.

The stickers will display a global warming and a smog score out of ten, with the most environmentally friendly cars scoring 10 and the worst polluters given a one.

The labelling scheme passed into law last month and will become compulsory from the start of next year. However, some showroom models are expected to appear displaying the labels over the next few weeks.

Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, said that the aim of the label is to "arm consumers with the information they need to choose a vehicle that saves gas, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps fight smog all at once".

However, the public displaying of the score on number plates is also expected to further stigmatise drivers of gas guzzlers, increasing peer pressure on motorists to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles.