Decarbonizing transport is not an easy task. About a quarter of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions come from cars and trucks (72,8 %), trains (0,6 %), ships (13%) and airplanes (13,1%)1. That’s going to have to change if the bloc — and the wider world — is to have any hope of putting the brakes on climate change and meeting the goals set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
There is a wide range of low emissions transport alternatives which can play an important role in decarbonizing transport. However, policy makers and business leaders will have to assess costs, progress in research and development, and the contribution that each possible solution can make to cutting emissions.
The costs of making a mistake are large. In the past, the EU backed both diesel and biofuels as ways of cutting greenhouse gases, but unwanted side effects, from urban smog to deforestation linked to palm oil plantations, has called those decisions into question. While there is now a strong focus on electrification as key to decarbonizing the transport sector, how quickly that will happen and what role should Brussels play in promoting that technology? What are the immediate solutions for the different modes of transport? And at which costs?
Questions to be addressed at the event include:
- How will the transport sector transition towards low and zero emissions?
- What’s the role of policies in supporting the development of new technologies for transport?
- Does focusing on electrification kill off other existing and potential solutions like biofuels, hydrogen, electrofuels? Is there a single technology that can address all transport challenges?
- Should regulators try to design clean energy solutions or let industry lead the way to these solutions through its research & innovation capability?
- On which basis should the sustainability of the different technologies be assessed: Tank-to-Wheel, Well-to-Wheel, or Life cycle?
- How can we ensure that low-carbon technologies are consistently deployed in all European countries?