At present, few agreements have been signed to control emissions from the transport sector. However, it represents nearly 30% of CO2 emissions, which has been increasing steadily since 1990. If nothing is done, this figure should triple by 2030. It is therefore essential to act now,
Air and maritime transport, for example, are respectively regulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Each of these organizations sets rules to reduce carbon emissions. But for now, these rules are non-binding and therefore random. The objective of the COP26 transport day is to coordinate all the actors (States, Industrialists, Civil Society) in order to accelerate the transition of transport towards zero emissions.
Concerning road transport, responsible for 75% of emissions linked to transport in general, the COP26 created the Council for the Transition towards zero emission vehicles. On this occasion, the States recalled their objective of exiting the thermal in 2030 for many European States, and in 2040 for France and Spain.
Regarding aviation, England has already presented an ambitious agreement to reduce emissions in the sector, but this did not prevent Boris Johnson and many heads of state from going to Glasgow in private plane. Sometimes symbols are important!
But beyond the States, the transition of the transport sector also involves companies. For example, CMA-CGM is starting to deploy Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) -based engines to propel its container ships, which pollute much less than heavy fuel oil.
The first step is to offer solutions for each means of transport and for each sector. Karima Delli, President of the Committee on Transport and Tourism at the European Parliament explains: “We are seeing the revival of rail at European level, then it will be necessary to support the aeronautics sector, in particular on hydrogen. One of the major projects, particularly for the maritime sector, is heavy fuel oil. Finally, the objective is the exit of thermal vehicles for 2035. “
The private car represents nearly 60% of transport emissions. For commuting within a city, the solutions range from the deployment of public transport, to parking lots on the outskirts, to the electric car, provided that their autonomy is increased and the fast charging stations are available.
For longer journeys, Thierry Salomon, co-founder of Negawatt would rather recommend the use of hybrid biogas / electric cars while waiting for green hydrogen, which is still a bit expensive. However, one element that has not changed is the importance of our behavior, for example with carpooling. “The indicator is the energy per kilometer traveled per person. If there are two of us in a car, we divide this indicator by two, that’s the point of carpooling” he emphasizes.
Behavior change involves sobriety, that is to say, questioning the need for travel in the face of its environmental consequences. But how can we sensitize the populations to think in terms of sobriety? Indeed, environmental measures are often seen as restrictive and liberticidal. But we must see these potential constraints as a means of reducing future constraints due to the consequences of global warming, which will be much worse.
Everyone’s efforts to fight global warming are like the red light.
“When there is a red light, I stop there. It is a constraint. The probability of arriving alive during a journey is still much better if I stop at the red light, and if all the world stops at a red light. It’s the same for energy, compared to our planet. Let’s be smart with our uses. “
Thierry Salomon, co-founder of Negawattto franceinfo
The fight against global warming is in the image of society, we can look at the technical aspect from all angles, but the key element is the PFH, “The Fucking Human Factor or the Precious Human Factor”, as the philosopher Patrick Viveret says. It’s up to us to make the right choice!