Transportation Roadmap
The latest science suggests that catastrophic environmental changes will result if global average temperatures increase more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to preindustrial times, and preventing that outcome requires stabilizing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at 450 parts per million. That goal can be achieved only by cutting the global carbon dioxide production dramatically: the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calculates that developed countries would have to reduce carbon dioxide production 25 to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and 80 to 95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, in order to reach the 450 ppm target.
In practical terms, avoiding catastrophic climate change requires a transition to a largely carbon-free global economy by 2050—a daunting challenge, but one that can be overcome largely with existing and forseeable technology. Starting now is of the utmost importance, because delaying this transition makes it ever more difficult to prevent carbon dioxide from rising above 450 ppm.
The ICCT Global Transportation Roadmap program is creating a timeline for the transportation sector that policymakers can use as a guide to achieving necessary greenhouse gas reductions. The roadmap puts special emphasis on the next decade, offering cost and technology assessment information for each geographic region and mode of transportation. By adopting stricter emissions standards, reducing dependence on passenger vehicles and phasing in low-carbon fuels and new energy sources such as electricity and hydrogen, the roadmap can help policymakers lead the way to clean, climate-friendly transportation.
