The International Transport Forum (ITF) presentedits latest projectionsat the global summit of transport ministers, and they don’t look encouraging for the planet’s environmental goals.
Specifically, global transport activity is expected to more than double by 2050, while traffic emissions will rise by 16% compared to 2015. And that’s even if existing commitments to cut down carbon emissions are carried out.
Based on projections from 2015, today urban mobility is responsible for 40%of all CO2 emissions from the movement of people. This means that how to meet mobility demands, while at the same time reducing pollution, still remains a big challenge.
Notably, 75% of all urban passenger transport emissions come from private cars, which intensifies the necessity for more sustainable alternatives. Similarly,freight emits more than 40% of all transport CO2.
The ITF considers these facts alarming and emphasizes that, if current policies remain the same up until 2050, the situation will deteriorate:
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This means thatthe goal of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5˚C won’t be reached.
Credit:International Transport Forum
Despite these ominous projections, it’s still possible to reverse the transport CO2 emission growth. In fact, more ambitious policies could reduce emissions by approximately 70%:
That way, limiting global warmingto 1.5˚C would be within reach.
Credit:International Transport Forum
Credit:International Transport Forum
The ITF offers six recommendations on how governments can develop a more sustainable mobility model, but the responsibility for developing more ambitious policies falls on the governments themselves.
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Story byIoanna Lykiardopoulou
Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainabili(show all)Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainability, green tech, AI, and EU policy. With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.
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