Brussels, 09/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European transport sector continues to generate too many greenhouse gas emissions and too much pollution and noise, according to the latest annual report on transport and the environment, published on Monday 8 December by the European Environment Agency (EEA). This report, TERM 2014 (Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism), focuses on long-distance transport, as this has the greatest impact on the environment.
Although long-distance transport contributes relatively little to the total number of trips made by freight carriers and passengers in Europe, such travel represents a significant proportion of the total environmental impact of the sector, the report stresses.
It states that demand for long-distance transport, for both freight and passengers, represents up to three quarters of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by transport.
International transport by sea and by air alone are responsible for 19% of nitrogen dioxide emissions in Europe, 17% of total sulphur dioxide emissions and 11% of emissions of PM2.5 particles.
With road transport believed to represent more than 70% of all kilometres travelled in 2012, this mode of transport has continued the decline started in 2009, mainly due to a drop in demand, whilst aviation, on the other hand, has grown rapidly in recent decades, the report stresses.
In total, greenhouse gas emissions from transport fell by 3.3% in 2012 - not including air transport, for which the emissions of certain pollutants increased - but they must continue to fall radically in order for the EU to meet its environmental objectives in the decades to come, as they are still 20.5% higher than 1990 levels, the report states.
The average share of renewable energy used in transport by the 28 member states of the EU has risen, to 5.1% in 2012 (compared to 3.4% in 2011). Readers may recall that the White Paper on transport calls for emissions from transport to be reduced by 60% by 2050 compared to 1990 figures. (AN)