Page 8 - European Energy Innovation - spring 2020 publication
P. 8
8 Spring 2020 European Energy Innovation
TRANSPORT DECARBONISATION
Transport Decarbonisation
By Herald Ruijters, Director, European Commission, DG MOVE B - Investment, Innovative &
Sustainable Transport
be enough. Mobility is part of many needs of boosting freight transported
The European Green Deal aspects of our daily social life - we by rail and inland waterways. The
sets a clear ambition: the are mobile, because we go to work, implementation of the European
EU should become the first go shopping, visits friend, go on Rail Traffic Management System
climate neutral continent
by 2050. To reach this aim, transport holidays. It is an essential part of our (ERTMS) is a major milestone to be
needs to reduce its emissions by overall social agenda. reached. We are therefore working
90 percent by 2050 compared to on a revision of the TEN-T Regulation.
1990. The transport sector is still The Commission is now working We will also work to set further
seeing growing emissions rates; on a comprehensive strategy for provisions for greening of our ports
reversing this trend is hence a major sustainable and smart mobility that and airports, including the use of
challenge. Yet it also comes with new leaves no one behind. It will support alternative fuels.
opportunities for jobs, growth and the Commission ambition to
better quality of life, in the end. increase the level of emission Indeed, for aviation and waterborne
reduction under the 2030 climate transport, decarbonisation will
In order to decarbonise transport, and energy targets, as announced primarily pass through energy
and reduce other pollutant emissions by President von der Leyen. efficiency measures and the
as well, we need to drastically deployment of alternative fuels, such
improve efficiency of the overall We do not need to start this as sustainable advanced biofuels,
transport system, reduce its energy discussion from scratch. By e-fuels and bio-LNG. We need to
consumption and push for the use November 2018, the Commission put in place measures to speed up
of least polluting modes of transport already adopted a long-term climate their deployment in these transport
wherever possible. We need to strategy proposal. It has been subject modes, and to ensure that limited
decarbonise transport fuels across all to intensive debate by Member resources – such as sustainable
transport modes, coupled with a fleet States, which have endorsed the feedstocks for advanced biofuels and
conversion to low and zero-emission objective of climate neutrality. The biomethane – are used in the most
vehicles and vessels. strategy provides a set of scenarios efficient way.
how to achieve overall climate
Technology engineering alone will not neutrality and the action required in Vehicle manufacturers are now
the transport sector. investing heavily into electrification
Herald Ruijters We already put in place relevant of their fleet. Many vehicles will
come in the market over the next
policies in the context of the Mobility years. Now we need to ensure a
Packages of the last Commission. The sufficient coverage of alternative fuels
CO2 emission performance standards infrastructure. Users should be able
for cars, vans and trucks provide a to recharge their electric vehicles
clear incentive for the deployment or refuel any other alternative fuels
of low- and zero-emission vehicles. vehicle everywhere in the EU, as
The new Clean Vehicles Directive easily as they do now for diesel or
will mobilise the power of public petrol vehicles. The Green Deal sets
procurement to support the the ambitious objective of having
deployment of these vehicles, 1 million public recharging and
particularly in the bus segment. refuelling points in place by 2025.
We are preparing a revision of the
Work on completing the trans- Alternative Fuels Infrastructure
European transport networks is Directive.
continuing. We are making the steps
towards real high-speed rail networks These actions need to complement
across borders in the EU, offering a our drive towards increasing
new and attractive travel alternative transport efficiency, particularly in
for citizens. We will also address the densely populated urban areas. We
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