British environmental group Futureproof has been giving out £5 bills to drivers who agree to sign a petition to the British Secretary of Transport, Geoff Hoon, to encourage him to seek tougher emission standards for cars sold in the European Union.[social_buttons]

“Today we’re giving drivers £5 each and in return asking them to make sure the Government plays its part in keeping the car manufacturers on track towards real progress and not opting for weaker targets,” said Blake Ludwig, the Managing Director for Futureproof.

The activists say the money represents a fraction of what drivers would save if the UK weaned itself from fossil fuels. They hope to push emission standards to 120g CO2/kg by 2012. Current standards are merely voluntary agreements with automakers, but environmental groups argue the voluntary agreement system is not working.

The group says the money they are giving away represents only a fraction of what drivers would save if the UK weaned itself from fossil fuels.

“This makes sense not just from an environmental point of view, but also from an economic standpoint. Low emission cars are an important first step toward removing us from oil dependency as they require less fuel, so will cost less to run.”

So far it is unclear who is funding the “Fivers for Drivers” campaign. Futureproof also has higher ambitions: they hope to found a new car company called Mundo Cars, which would produce “aspirational,” pollution-free vehicles. For more information about the group and their high aspirations, check out this video they have produced.

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Image Credit: Futureproof