Toyota Fails to Respond to Letter from Global Advocacy Organizations by Deadline

Support CleanTechnica’s work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.

GLOBAL — Yesterday was the deadline for global automaker Toyota to respond to the letter sent by advocacy organizations on Nov. 21, urging the automaker to reduce emissions and combat the climate crisis.

The letter urges the automaker to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to be in line with Paris Agreement targets, stop its harmful lobbying against climate and clean air policies, and stop funding politicians that deny climate change.

In response to Toyota’s silence to the global letter, Sierra Club Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine García issued the following statement:

“We’re sounding the alarm with this global letter about the growing climate inaction and political radicalization of Toyota.

“Instead of charting a path forward that invests in electric vehicles and union jobs, the automaker is in cahoots with an anti-climate, anti-job administration that is set on dragging us backwards, leaving Americans to drive dirtier cars and breathe dirtier air.”

Background on Toyota’s dismal record on climate: 

• Toyota currently only has one fully electric vehicle, the BZ4X, for sale in the U.S.
• Toyota has lobbied to rollback federal vehicle pollution standards, federal EV incentives, and state clean vehicle standards.
• The automaker has a long history of engaging in heavy greenwashing in its marketing, using the phrases “Beyond Zero” and “electrified” to lump together conventional hybrid vehicles that only run on fossil fuels.
• Hollywood’s leading sustainability group recently cut ties with Toyota as its sponsor.

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.