EEA says 'technical fix' cannot stop growth in transport sector emissions
Wed 28 February 2007
View all news
The European Environment Agency (EEA) says that the environmental performance of Europe's transport sector is still unsatisfactory and that it is lagging behind progress in other sectors in terms of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. CO2 and other climate-changing emissions from transport increased by 34 per cent between 1990 and 2004, while declining in other sectors, according to the EEA.
The EEA concludes that overall success of Europe's environmental policy hinges on the ability to manage transport demand growth. The agency says that improvements in the energy efficiency of different means of transport and the introduction of renewable fuels are not sufficient to offset the growth of transport volumes. Consequently, according to the EEA, emissions of greenhouse gases in the transport sector are steadily increasing.
The EEA is calling for policy changes and a shift in incentives to encourage the public to leave their cars at home and take less flights.
Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the EEA said: "By suggesting that we simply deal with the environmental impacts of transport, the mid-term review of the 2001 White Paper on Transport could be interpreted as a softening of Europe's line on the need to deal with transport volumes. This cannot be the case."
"We cannot deal with the increasing GHG emissions, noise pollution and landscape fragmentation caused by transport without dealing with the increasing traffic across the spectrum: on our roads and railways, in the air and by sea.
"Technical advances, such as cleaner, more fuel efficient engines are very important but we cannot innovate our way out of the emissions problem from transport."
Related Links
< Back to news list