Accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility
As a means to combat climate change and move towards a more sustainable future, the EU put together an action plan called the European Green Deal. This strategy aims to address pollution and encourage a shift to implementing innovative and sustainable technology to become the first climate-neutral continent.
Regards transportation, Green Deal aims to accelerate the shift to sustainable and smart mobility, seeing as the rate of emissions from the EU transport sector are still growing.
To achieve climate neutrality, a 90% reduction in transport emissions is needed by 2050. Hence the commission will be adopting a strategy tackling road, rail, aviation, and waterborne transport, whilst putting users first through offering affordable, cleaner, healthier and accessible multimodal transport (i.e using a variety of methods of transport to move from A to B).
It is via multimodality that technology and innovation can become key players in changing the face of transport, especially within urban areas. Examples include automated and connected multimodal mobility services (like MaaS - Mobility as a Service) and smart traffic management systems.
Besides providing the user with more transport choices, the commission also focuses on reducing air pollution through promoting the use of cleaner fuels, cutting fossil-fuel subsidies and by placing certain restrictions on the use of fossil fuel combustion engines.
Overview of Green deal actions - Sustainable and smart mobility
Strategy for sustainable and smart mobility | 2020 |
Funding call to support the deployment of public recharging and refuelling points as part of alternative fuel infrastructure | From 2020 |
Assessment of legislative options to boost the production and supply of sustainable alternative fuels for the different transport modes | From 2020 |
Revised proposal for a Directive on Combined Transport | 2021 |
Review of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive and the Trans European Network – Transport Regulation | 2021 |
Initiatives to increase and better manage the capacity of railways and inland waterways | From 2021 |
Proposal for more stringent air pollutant emissions standards for combustion-engine vehicles | 2021 |
To learn more about the Europen Green Deal, please visitthe official website of the European Union.