What we do
We want the EU to be a global leader in reducing the environmental impacts of transport. We believe Europe should have the lowest levels of greenhouse gas emissions and air and noise pollution from transport; the cleanest vehicles, planes and ships; transport policies that encourage efficiency and smart behaviour, and pricing that makes polluters pay for pollution, not society as a whole. Below is an overview of our main areas of work.
Campaigns we work on
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Aviation is the fastest growing source of transport greenhouse gas emissions and the most climate-intensive form of transport. Its emissions have more than doubled in the last twenty years and, in 2008, the sector, together with shipping, accounted for a quarter of total transport emissions. Aviation has always received special treatment, avoiding fuel taxes and VAT. T&E is campaigning, together with members of the International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation for global targets for reduction in emissions within the aviation sector and for removing exemptions on fuel taxation and VAT for airlines in the EU.
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One of the most important steps Europe can take to save oil, combat climate change, and create high tech jobs is to require carmakers to produce cleaner, more efficient vehicles. In 2008, the EU set legally-binding CO2 standards for the first time. They say cars sold in Europe in 2015 should emit 130 grammes of CO2 per kilometre on average, and those sold in 2020, 95 grammes. We want the EU to set future standards for fuel efficiency and to ensure that car buyers can rely on the fuel consumption figures stated by carmakers.
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If left unchanged, EU legislation promoting biofuels for transport will lead to higher, not lower greenhouse gas emissions. T&E and other environmental organisations are campaigning for Europe to address the environmental impact of indirect land use change (ILUC) caused by biofuel production. Read the letter from more than 200 scientists asking the European Commission to address ILUC emissions, download our briefing on ILUC and take a look at our report into how the EU could manage the impact of an ILUC-based policy on existing biofuels production.
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As well as improving the efficiency of vehicles, the world needs to reduce the emissions that result from the production of transport fuels. That means improving refinery efficiency, cleaning up the dirtiest sources like tar sands and coal-to-liquid and stopping wasteful gas flaring.
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Shipping is one of the fastest growing sources of transport greenhouse gas emissions, and is also a major source of the air pollution that causes acid rain. Like aviation, the sector's international emissions were excluded from the 1997 Kyoto climate targets with responsibility instead handed to a UN global regulator, the IMO. T&E works, together with other members of the Clean Shipping Coalition, to reduce the air pollution and climate impacts of shipping globally and in Europe.
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According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), noise is second only to air pollution in the impact it has on health. It is a major cause, not only of hearing loss, but also of heart disease, learning problems in children and sleep disturbance. Yet traffic noise could easily be halved, with existing technology, if more stringent limits were adopted. T&E is working at the EU and global level for tighter restrictions on sources of transport noise including cars, lorries and trains.
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Freight transport poses a major challenge in terms of both environmental impacts and road safety. Around three-quarters of freight in Europe is delivered by lorry, and road freight transport is one of the sub-sectors of the transport industry with the fastest growing CO2 emissions. The share of lorries for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and road accidents is expected to continue growing, unless new and stringent measures are taken. To address these challenges at EU level, T&E works on three main issues: smarter lorry design, road pricing and fuel taxation.
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The EU spends around €13 billion every year on transport infrastructure projects. The true financial impact is much greater because without the EU cash, many co-financed projects would simply not go ahead. We want the EU to spend its money on smarter transport projects such as congestion charging schemes, or electrifying rail infrastructure. And we want all projects to receive a 'climate rating', with an assurance that greener projects are prioritised.