EEA: "Transport sector must raise its game if EU is to meet CO2 targets"
Mon 03 March 2008
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The European Environment Agency says that if the EU is to meet its future overall greenhouse gas reduction targets by 2020 then the transport sector must 'raise its game' and improve its environmental performance. The EEA says that if transport sector emissions had been reduced by the average overall level, total EU emissions during the period 1990–2005 would have fallen by 14% instead of the 7.9% recorded.
The EEA's report says that previous and current EU policies have mainly focused on improving vehicle technology and fuel quality to reduce pressures on the environment. The Agency says that the effect of these mitigation measures has been more than offset by increased transport volumes.
To achieve emission reductions, measures and policy instruments must therefore also address demand for transport in a serious way. Achieving ambitious targets in line with the 'Bali roadmap' would require that transport volume growth is limited to between plus 4 and minus 2 % over the period 2010–2020, compared to a growth of 15 % in a business-as-usual scenario.
The report says that while emissions from most other sectors have been reducing, transport emissions have continued to rise, and in some countries at a very fast rate. In Ireland and Luxembourg, for example, emissions from land-based transport grew by 140% and 156% respectively since 1990. The average increase in the 32 EEA member countries was 25 %.
The EEA says that transport, excluding shipping and aviation, is responsible for 21 % of total greenhouse gas GHG emissions in the EU-15. Road transport contributes 93 % of the total of all transport emissions.
For the full report, follow the associated link.
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