Transport accounts for 20% of all greenhouse emissions worldwide and 50% of this comes from automobiles.

A free professorial lecture at Coventry University on January 18 hopes to shed some light on the impact legislation has had on helping to bring down emissions in new vehicles.

The lecture will focus on the targets that have been set and the subsequent achievements and discuss whether or not this is a case of too little and too late?

Peter White is the Professor of Thermofluid Dynamics in the Faculty of Engineering and Computing at Coventry University. He's also Chairman of the Automobile Division at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

He will be looking at the challenges faced in reducing carbon emissions taking into account the technical innovation, energy sources, trends in vehicle ownership and socio-economic behaviour.

Professor White said:

"To prevent a 20c rise in temperature requires an 85% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. I will be asking if this can be achieved and what contribution can the automobile make?"

The lecture, which is a joint venture between Coventry University and IMechE, takes place on Tuesday 18 January at 7.30pm in the Goldstein Lecture Theatre in the Alan Berry Building at Coventry University.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

To book a place, contact Mrs Suky Dhillon on 024 7679 5294 or by email on suky.dhillon@coventry.ac.uk

Refreshments will be available after the lecture at approximately 8.30pm.

For more information about Coventry University, please visit their website here: www.coventry.ac.uk