REDUCING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF TRANSPORT IN EUROPE

Mission

The ECF’s Transport Programme aims to reduce Europe’s vehicle emissions by increasing fuel efficiency and decreasing the carbon content of fuels.

If Europe is to continue making progress in reducing its total carbon emissions, the transport sector must make an important contribution.  Responsible for more than one-quarter of Europe’s energy use and CO2 emissions, the transport sector simply cannot be left out of climate planning. Even as Europe’s total emissions have fallen since 1990, CO2 emissions from transport have risen by 35%, with road transport alone accounting for some 20% of the EU’s carbon output.

The transport sector offers numerous opportunities to reduce emissions. For instance, the average fuel efficiency of cars has hardly changed in decades: a 2008 Volkswagen Beetle is barely more efficient than the 1948 model, despite the fact that the technology exists to dramatically improve vehicle performance.

Halving the average fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of all cars by 2020 is well within reach. Strong EU directives on vehicle CO2 emissions that apply to all new cars sold in the EU would go a long ways toward achieving Europe’s goal for reducing emissions. Furthermore, tough European standards will have a profound global impact. More than 80 % of the world’s cars are manufactured by just 10 global companies, so advances in Europe will help push other markets toward stronger vehicle efficiency.

What we do

The team is pursuing three main initiatives:

1.    Car emissions standards. With support from the ECF, Europe adopted legislation in 2008 to regulate CO2 emissions from cars for the first time. The binding 2015 target of 130 grams of CO2 per kilometre is the most stringent legislation of its kind in the world, but this policy is still insufficient for reducing transport sector emissions. The same regulation established an ambitious target of 95 g/km by 2020. The key challenge in the next three to four years will be to reinforce the 95 g/km target, which will come under heavy attack when legislation is revised in 2013.

2.    Different means for reducing the carbon footprint of road-freight traffic. The EU also needs to adopt legislation that reduces the emissions of road-freight transport. Strategies include increasing fuel efficiency, improving the aerodynamics of trucks and adopting road-charging policies that shift freight to rail.

3.    Biofuels/Low-Carbon Fuel Standard. In 2010, the European institutions will address the issue of indirect land-use changes induced by biofuels production. The ECF Transport Programme will help promote progressive legislation that ensures biofuels are sustainably produced and account for all direct and indirect effects on greenhouse gas emissions.

Case study: Fuel efficiency standards for cars

With cars responsible for 12% of EU emissions and with car manufacturers having historically paid little attention to fuel efficiency, it was vital to pass European-wide legislation to implement minimum fuel efficiency standards.

The ECF Transport Programme helped co-ordinate NGO activities and ensured their voices were heard by policymakers in Brussels. These efforts came to fruition in December 2008 with the adoption of a standard of 130 g/km in 2015 and 95 g/km in 2020.  The legislation will save up to 150 billion tonnes of CO2 per year.