The International Energy Agency (IEA), has released a new report on
Transport, Energy and CO2: Moving Toward Sustainability, that details ways on enabling growth in mobility without accelerating climate change.
The report finds that “by shifting more travel to the most efficient modes, improving vehicle fuel efficiency by up to 50% using cost-effective, incremental technologies and moving toward electricity, hydrogen, and advanced biofuels, we can reduce transport CO2 emissions far below current levels by 2050, at lower costs than many assume.”
IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka in the book’s foreword said, “The first priority should be to adopt technologies and practices that are cost-effective today. This will lead to substantial gains in vehicle fuel economy – we target a 50% improvement by 2030 for new light-duty vehicles.”
The report said that with the expected tripling in car ownership worldwide to over two billion by 2050, trucking activity doubling and air travel increasing four-fold, these trends will lead to a doubling of transport energy use, and higher growth rate in carbon emissions, unless strong global action is taken.
The report concludes that “transport can achieve deep reductions in energy use and GHG emissions by 2050 through a combination of approaches, and with a mix of incremental and advanced technologies. In the long term, costs are expected to come down such that by 2050, the goals may be reached at a marginal cost of about USD 200 per tonne."
"But the transition to 2050 will include deploying some relatively high-cost options, and cost reductions are not assured. Strong RD&D programmes are needed to speed cost reductions and the market introduction of advanced technologies. These include electric and fuel cell vehicles, but also advanced designs for trucks, ships and aircraft; advanced, sustainable biofuels; and telematic and ITS systems to improve the efficiency of transport systems,” the report added.
Related LinkTransport, Energy and CO2: Moving toward Sustainability
