Announced in the budget on 12/3/08 were increases in Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax). These announcements made scant reference to the fact that they were RETROSPECTIVE and affect all cars dating back to 2001. Owning an older car and keeping it running is FAR more environmentally friendly than scrapping it and manufacturing a new one, no matter how much more efficient then new car is. The manufacturing process creates huge amounts of CO2. Owners of older cars do not have choice - potential purchasers of new cars do. This will seriously damage the second hand car market and the leisure industry.

sign up to cancel the retrospective taxation http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/UNFAIR-VED/ - here

Owning an older car and keeping it running is FAR more environmentally friendly than scrapping it and manufacturing a new one, no matter how much more efficient then new car is. The manufacturing process creates huge amounts of CO2.

Absolutely spot on there!

Think of the amount of energy involved in making engine blocks, pistons, crankshafts, camshafts, gears etc etc. 

I personally would steer clear of arguments about older cars being more environmentally friendly. I've read a whole load of stuff about this and it is far from clean cut.

I'd be willing to be that you've never seen any hard, proper scientific evidence to show this and even if you had it would depend on what cars you were comparing. I'd bet there is never a case for keeping a Hummer on the road rather than buying a Polo Bluemotion for example. If you want to further your cause it is always best to stick to known facts that can be defended vigorously.

One of the problems with the whole environmetal debate is that neither side sticks to facts, or at least things that can be proven. One of the worst aspects of the internet is that anyone can write anything they want and someone will pick it up and use it even though it could well be rubbish