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EU Drive To End Petrol Products In Transport …

  • January 27th, 2011
  • Posted by EUEditor

traffic-eu-2spacenet.jpgA new drive for replacing petroleum products for transport in Europe is to be launched this year, and a research report just released in Brussels sets out where it is likely to go.

cars-ld-resize41.jpgThe European Commission says its document canvasses several alternative fuels, settling on two categories as the main chance.

“The expert group shows that the energy demand of the whole transport sector could be met primarily by electricity and biofuels”, it says.

“Their report will feed into the strategy for clean transportation systems to be launched this year.”

The report begins setting out a clear dictum on the expected impacts of climate change, where the EU has already declared for a “20-20-20” program: a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, 20% improvement in energy efficiency, and  20% share for renewables in the overall EU energy mix.

It says:

traffic-eu-2-greenpeace.jpg“Transport fuel supply today, in particular in the road sector, is dominated by oil, which has proven reserves that are expected to last around 40 years.

“The combustion of mineral oil  derived fuels gives rise to CO2 emissions and … total CO2 emissions from transport have increased by 24% from 1990 tom 2008, representing 19.5% of total European Union (EU) greenhouse gas emissions.”

It lists the main options for the future as electricity / hydrogen and biofuels (liquids); with a place also for synthetic fuels, methane (natural gas and bio-methane), and LPG as a supplement.

cars-construct.jpgIn the background, European law already mandates strict controls on car exhaust emissions, under a Directive made in 2007, when the European Commission announced it was giving up on voluntary standards applied up to that time.

It required that average CO2 emissions from cars be under 120 grams per kilometre, by 2012 — as motor cars had been accounting for about 12% of carbon emissions in Europe.

Read the 2011 expert group report:

European Commission, Brussels, “Replacing fossil fuels by 2050”, 25.1.11, pdf.http://ec.europa.eu/transport/urban/vehicles/directive/doc/2011_01_25_future_transport_fuels_report.pdf, (27.1.11).

See also, EUAustralia Online: “20-20-20 says EU”, 13.12.08; “20-20-20 Passes European Parliament”, 18.12.08; “Environment: New Moves On Planes And Cars”, 21.12.07.

Pictures  greenpeace, 2space.net