Sustainable transport systems make a positive contribution to the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the communities they serve. Transport systems exist to provide social and economic connections, and people quickly take up the opportunities offered by increased mobility. The advantages of increased mobility need to be weighed against the environmental, social and economic costs that transport systems pose.
The transport sector relies heavily on fossil fuels, which account for 96% of its energy needs, and contributes up to 25% of all green¬house-gas emissions in Europe, a situation which has important implications in terms of costs and pollution. The EU is committed to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, with the goal of limiting climate change to an increase of less than 2°C. Therefore, a reduction of at least 60% of greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050 (with reference to 1990 levels) is required from the transport sector.
The UN-DESA-SLoCaT Rio+20 Issues Brief on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport in Emerging and Developing Countries explains the need to improve access to goods and services in support of economic and social development while at the same time minimizing the negative environmental, social and economic impacts of a rapidly growing transport sector.
Sustainable transport from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP)
Sustainable transport - European Commission
While dependent on the required vehicle performance and drive cycle, as well as the availability of fuels and refuelling infrastructure, the main low and ultra-low emission fuel and engine technologies currently include the following options:
Electric vehicle technologies include: battery electric vehicles (BEVs); hybrid vehicles which use a combustion engine in conjunction with an electric drive-train; and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) which are hybrids that can have their batteries directly charged using an external electricity supply.
Of the liquid biofuels, bioethanol is an alcohol produced primarily by fermenting the sugars found in biomass crops such as sugar cane, sugar beet and cereals. Biodiesel is produced by the esterification of energy crops such as oil seed rape (to produce rape methyl ester or RME), sunflower oil, palm oil and soybeans.
Road fuel gases include liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas and biomethane. Biomethane is a renewable fuel produced from the anaerobic digestion of organic material, such as organic waste or agricultural residues. Once the raw biogas has been 'upgraded' to 95% methane, the gas can be used as a vehicle fuel in the same way as natural gas.
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