Chapter 1 - Making transport sustainable for all
But these numbers come at a price. Transport is currently responsible for around a quarter of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving climate neutrality means making some big changes to how we move people and freight. But just how big are we talking about? According to the EU Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, achieving our Green Deal ambitions will require a 90 % reduction in transport emissions by 2050 (compared to 1990 levels), significantly reimagining how people and goods are moved across Europe. That’s a tall order, but one that is more than feasible thanks to the wide range of initiatives working to substantially reduce – if not completely eliminate – mobility’s carbon footprint.
Giving electric mobility a much-needed charge
In order to reduce road-related emissions, the European Commission will require that all new cars and vans sold in the EU be zero-tailpipe emission by 2035. However, this mandate’s success is predicated on there being a comprehensive charging infrastructure in place. In this chapter, you’ll see how a range of projects are already installing a network of high-speed charging stations across Europe. Many of these, which will be located along major European highways and near key transport hubs such as airports, will allow drivers to recharge a battery in less than 30 minutes.
Old solutions to new problems
New technologies can help curb maritime emissions, maybe even bring them down to near net zero. One of those is WINNEW’s wind propulsion system that, when installed onto a commercial ship, can reduce both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 45 %. The CHEK project tells us that its wind energy-based ship designs could reduce maritime’s greenhouse gas emissions by a staggering 99 %. While each spotlighted project may be working within a different sector and using different technologies, they all share a commitment to helping Europe’s transport sector play its part in moving the European Green Deal forward.