Reducing Transport Greenhouse Gas Emmissions - Trends and data 2010

A drop in travel volumes in the wake of the global economic crisis has decreased Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector in many countries. The long-term trend, however, continues to be towards an increase in CO2 emissions from travel activity. The report suggests that global CO₂ emissions from transport grew by 45% from 1990 to 2007. It concludes that from 2007 to 2030, transport emissions will continue to grow by approximately 40%. This is only slightly lower than pre-crisis estimates and already takes account of many planned efficiency improvements.

Road sector emissions dominate transport emissions, with light-duty vehicles accounting for the bulk of emissions globally. In some of the International Transport Forum’s 52 member countries, road freight accounts for up to 30% to 40% of road sector CO₂ emissions. Emissions from global aviation and international shipping respectively accounted for 2.5% and 3% of total CO₂ emissions in 2007 and are the fastest growing sources of transport CO₂ emissions.

Across the economy, the crisis of 2008 has contributed to the sharpest drop in emissions in the past 40 years, with estimates ranging from 3% to 10%. This could translate into a 5% to 8% decrease in 2020 emissions from their pre-crisis projected levels, depending on the strength of the economic recovery. Despite countries gaining some breathing room due to the post-crisis drop in GHG emissions, fundamental drivers for increased transport sector CO₂ emissions remain and necessitate coordinated policies to limit future emissions. Some countries, notably France, Germany and Japan, have seen their road CO₂ emissions stabilised or decrease even before the recession of 2008-2009, despite economic and road freight growth over the same period.