Climate Dialogues discuss green transport

Photo by: Jose Gulias Trigas / iStock

Domestic and international transport accounts for around 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Climate scientists, activists and politicians are increasingly calling for decisive action to decarbonise transport. If no action is taken now, the share of emissions from transport will account for up to 60% of total emissions by 2050.

More innovations in green mobility are now appearing around the world, but their uptake by the market has been slow. In addition to private passenger transport, this is of course also an issue for large goods vehicles. Freight transport and logistics are major contributors to climate change (10–11% of total emissions). But so far this sector is almost entirely dependent on fossil fuels.

Russia has a Transport Strategy, last updated in 2021. The document contains a plan to switch to carbon-free modes of transport by 2030. Electricity, gas and hydrogen are considered as green fuels. But there remains a significant and as yet unresolved issue of decarbonisation of rail transport. This problem was noted by Yury Trofimenko, head of the department “Technosphere safety” at Moscow State Automobile and Road Technical University, within the discussion on “green” transport at the recent forum “Climatic Dialogues”. Trofimenko explained that Russia has the longest railway transport network in the world and it is still difficult to find a solution for its global modernisation.

As for private green vehicles, according to Trofimenko, so far there are no incentives to build filling stations for them. This works against stimulating development. According to rough estimates, 400 million rubles are needed to switch vehicles from diesel to natural gas. “But the question is: ‘Where will they come from? From the internal reserves of transport companies?” — said the scientist.

But the transition to less polluting and environmentally friendly modes of transport is necessary to fight the rate of global warming and for the successful development of the domestic road transport business.

Kirill Zhanaidarov, head of external transport infrastructure projects at the Skolkovo Foundation, said that Russia now needs to develop electric cars and other alternative forms of transport. Nevertheless, the experience of Western countries cannot be taken as an exact model for Russia. “We need to learn from others, but it’s impossible to copy much. Every country has its own opportunities,” said Zhanaidarov.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is now actively engaged in strategic planning for transport decarbonisation in many countries around the world. The organisation has initiated the development of a guidebook on effective action to decarbonise transport, which is a visual aid for governments around the world seeking to achieve carbon neutrality in transport. Russia applied to join the OECD in 1996, but was turned down.

Cover photo: Jose Gulias Trigas / iStock