Periodic Reporting for period 2 - DTImplement (Decarbonising Transport – Driving implementation actions)
Période du rapport: 2022-09-01 au 2023-02-28
The European Commission’s new growth strategy, i.e. its European Green Deal, aims to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy.
Innovations enabled by digital connectivity, increases in computational power, falling costs of new technologies and low- and zero-carbon energy vectors hold the potential to help reducing CO2 emissions and to achieve greater sustainability in the transport sector, all while allowing for a fair transition to a decarbonised sector. Achieving these objectives will rely on the right government policies.
This project aimed at providing fora for EU member states and other countries/economies, and all key transport stakeholders, to identify transport R&I priorities of common interest, addressing technological, societal and behavioural aspects to fight climate change, as well as to support a socially fair transition towards connected, integrated, sustainable and safe transport and mobility for all.
To achieve the project's objectives, three stakeholder fora were set up to establish policy insights and recommendations to drive transport decarbonisation in the hard to abate sectors. The specific insights per sector and topic tackled were the following:
Aviation (focus on upscaling the availability of sustainable aviation fuels, SAFs):
-) Scaling up the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels is a priority. They are ready now and are compatible with the existing aircraft fleet, which will still be the fleet used in 2050, when the sector has pledged to be carbon neutral.
-) Policy certainty is needed to make the large investments required so that SAF can be produced and made available at scale.
-) Scaling up SAF relies on timely and targeted policy support. Governments should promptly establish effective policies for increasing production and realising cost reductions, thus bringing the sector on track to imminent SAF targets.
-) Interest and priorities differ between markets and regions. Policy approaches must consider these differences, whose underlying factors include varying readiness to adopt SAF targets and diverse SAF feedstock profiles.
-) Stimulating public and private investments is a priority. Existing production plants are small, especially for advanced SAF pathways. This slows down cost reductions and market growth.
-) Aviation competes with other sectors for the raw materials used to make fuel. Several markets mandate bioenergy in road transport but not in aviation. This can make SAF production less attractive than producing biodiesel and ethanol.
-) Scaling up SAF can decentralise fuel production to small facilities close to where raw material is sourced.
Shipping (focus on facilitating the implementation of carbon pricing):
-) Some barriers need to be overcome before member states of the International Maritime Organization will adopt carbon pricing and fuel standards for international shipping.
-) Carbon pricing and fuel standards are essential to create a market for zero-carbon shipping, but there are different ideas on what would be the most appropriate design for such mechanisms.
-) Comprehensive impacts of assessments on states are crucial for the possible acceptance of decarbonisation measures for the shipping industry, including carbon pricing. In addition to assessment of negative impacts, such assessments could also take into account climate change impacts on shipping and ports, as well as business opportunities related to decarbonisation of shipping.
Heavy Duty Road Freight transport (focus on navigating the technology uncertainty around zero emission trucks):
-) The decarbonisation of road freight has significant momentum among governments and in the private sector.
-) Many countries are developing comprehensive frameworks to promote the adoption of zero-emissions vehicles. Some governments are already building upon those frameworks by operating pilot projects at significant scale.
-) It will be important to deploy recharging and refuelling infrastructure in the 2020s to reach ambitious decarbonisation targets. Understanding the technical and economic aspects of different options as soon as possible is essential for timely deployment.
-) Different technologies suit different use cases. For urban deliveries and other short-distance uses, battery electric vehicles are seen as most likely to be ready for deployment. For other, more challenging use cases, infrastructure decisions are crucial.
-) Uncertainty persists about the technologies best suited to decarbonise long-haul transport.
-) Pilot projects are seen as particularly important to overcome some of the technology uncertainty and understand specific national challenges in the short term.
-) International cooperation is crucial to ensure compatibility and mutually reinforcing approaches to decarbonisation of heavy goods road vehicles.
Innovations enabled by digital connectivity, increases in computational power, falling costs of new technologies and low- and zero-carbon energy vectors hold the potential to help reducing CO2 emissions and to achieve greater sustainability in the transport sector, all while allowing for a fair transition to a decarbonised sector. Achieving these objectives will rely on the right government policies.
This project aimed at providing fora for EU member states and other countries/economies, and all key transport stakeholders, to identify transport R&I priorities of common interest, addressing technological, societal and behavioural aspects to fight climate change, as well as to support a socially fair transition towards connected, integrated, sustainable and safe transport and mobility for all.
To achieve the project's objectives, three stakeholder fora were set up to establish policy insights and recommendations to drive transport decarbonisation in the hard to abate sectors. The specific insights per sector and topic tackled were the following:
Aviation (focus on upscaling the availability of sustainable aviation fuels, SAFs):
-) Scaling up the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels is a priority. They are ready now and are compatible with the existing aircraft fleet, which will still be the fleet used in 2050, when the sector has pledged to be carbon neutral.
-) Policy certainty is needed to make the large investments required so that SAF can be produced and made available at scale.
-) Scaling up SAF relies on timely and targeted policy support. Governments should promptly establish effective policies for increasing production and realising cost reductions, thus bringing the sector on track to imminent SAF targets.
-) Interest and priorities differ between markets and regions. Policy approaches must consider these differences, whose underlying factors include varying readiness to adopt SAF targets and diverse SAF feedstock profiles.
-) Stimulating public and private investments is a priority. Existing production plants are small, especially for advanced SAF pathways. This slows down cost reductions and market growth.
-) Aviation competes with other sectors for the raw materials used to make fuel. Several markets mandate bioenergy in road transport but not in aviation. This can make SAF production less attractive than producing biodiesel and ethanol.
-) Scaling up SAF can decentralise fuel production to small facilities close to where raw material is sourced.
Shipping (focus on facilitating the implementation of carbon pricing):
-) Some barriers need to be overcome before member states of the International Maritime Organization will adopt carbon pricing and fuel standards for international shipping.
-) Carbon pricing and fuel standards are essential to create a market for zero-carbon shipping, but there are different ideas on what would be the most appropriate design for such mechanisms.
-) Comprehensive impacts of assessments on states are crucial for the possible acceptance of decarbonisation measures for the shipping industry, including carbon pricing. In addition to assessment of negative impacts, such assessments could also take into account climate change impacts on shipping and ports, as well as business opportunities related to decarbonisation of shipping.
Heavy Duty Road Freight transport (focus on navigating the technology uncertainty around zero emission trucks):
-) The decarbonisation of road freight has significant momentum among governments and in the private sector.
-) Many countries are developing comprehensive frameworks to promote the adoption of zero-emissions vehicles. Some governments are already building upon those frameworks by operating pilot projects at significant scale.
-) It will be important to deploy recharging and refuelling infrastructure in the 2020s to reach ambitious decarbonisation targets. Understanding the technical and economic aspects of different options as soon as possible is essential for timely deployment.
-) Different technologies suit different use cases. For urban deliveries and other short-distance uses, battery electric vehicles are seen as most likely to be ready for deployment. For other, more challenging use cases, infrastructure decisions are crucial.
-) Uncertainty persists about the technologies best suited to decarbonise long-haul transport.
-) Pilot projects are seen as particularly important to overcome some of the technology uncertainty and understand specific national challenges in the short term.
-) International cooperation is crucial to ensure compatibility and mutually reinforcing approaches to decarbonisation of heavy goods road vehicles.
The ITF created three stakeholder fora, focusing on heavy-duty road freight transport, shipping and aviation.
These fora brought together experts from governments, industry, the research community and NGOs for peer-to-peer exchange and mutual learning.
Each group met four times within the project's timeframe and focused on concrete policy and technology solutions to achieve significant CO2 reductions in their sector.
Specific outputs for each group were the following:
- The heavy-duty freight transport group developed a report that assesses the total costs of ownership of different technology options to decarbonise road freight transport. The study develops a novel approach to such type of cost assessment and is focused on assumptions/parameters valid for the European context (see here: https://www.itf-oecd.org/decarbonising-europes-trucks-minimise-cost-uncertainty(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre))
- The shipping group focused on the impacts of carbon pricing on shipping and published a report on this topic; it was submitted to the relevant working group of the International Maritime Organisation as information document (see here: https://www.itf-oecd.org/carbon-pricing-shipping(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)).
- The aviation group developed a shared policy vision on the uptake of sustainable aviation fuels. This shared policy vision document was fed an information paper submission for the ICAO meetings (see here: https://www.icao.int/Meetings/a41/Documents/WP/wp_504_en.pdf(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)).
These fora brought together experts from governments, industry, the research community and NGOs for peer-to-peer exchange and mutual learning.
Each group met four times within the project's timeframe and focused on concrete policy and technology solutions to achieve significant CO2 reductions in their sector.
Specific outputs for each group were the following:
- The heavy-duty freight transport group developed a report that assesses the total costs of ownership of different technology options to decarbonise road freight transport. The study develops a novel approach to such type of cost assessment and is focused on assumptions/parameters valid for the European context (see here: https://www.itf-oecd.org/decarbonising-europes-trucks-minimise-cost-uncertainty(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre))
- The shipping group focused on the impacts of carbon pricing on shipping and published a report on this topic; it was submitted to the relevant working group of the International Maritime Organisation as information document (see here: https://www.itf-oecd.org/carbon-pricing-shipping(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)).
- The aviation group developed a shared policy vision on the uptake of sustainable aviation fuels. This shared policy vision document was fed an information paper submission for the ICAO meetings (see here: https://www.icao.int/Meetings/a41/Documents/WP/wp_504_en.pdf(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)).
This project encouraged decision makers across Europe - and beyond – to commit to implementing transport policies that contribute to GHG emission reduction from transport, while also contributing to economic and social development, along the lines outlined by Europe’s Green New Deal. This promotes the global scale-up of transport solutions that work, and drive their further uptake by encouraging more and more countries to follow leading examples – well beyond the timeframe of this project. The project encouraged countries to commit to policy measures and innovate transport and mobility solutions that contribute to increased energy efficiency, GHG and local pollutant emission reductions, foster sustainable economic growth and ensure a fair transition to a decarbonised economy that brings benefits to all.
Going forward, stakeholders expressed their keen interest to keep the stakeholder alive well beyond the project timeframe. They especially appreciated the opportunity for mutual learning and looking at the most relevant policy questions from an international perspective.
Going forward, stakeholders expressed their keen interest to keep the stakeholder alive well beyond the project timeframe. They especially appreciated the opportunity for mutual learning and looking at the most relevant policy questions from an international perspective.