International Transport Report Suggests Travel Will Double By 2050

Global transport is set to double by 2050, the year many countries and organisations have pledged to reduce carbon emissions down to net zero.

This finding, published in the International Transport Forum’s Transport Outlook for 2021, also found that because of this increased traffic, carbon emissions are also set to increase by 16 per cent compared to statistics compiled in 2015.

However, the popularity of transport logistics and general demand for transportation in general can be cut by 72 per cent through the use of ambitious low-carbon policies and intensifying the work that has been put in place already to cut carbon emissions.

The report strongly advises that funding should be placed towards innovative ways to decarbonise transport, particularly in industries where decarbonisation has been difficult such as long haul road logistics and air freight.

As well as this, the ITF also notes that different sectors need different strategies to be put in place. Whilst electric trucks can be used for local and short-haul transportation, long-haul freight would need a more targeted solution such as hydrogen fuel.

It also emphasises the importance for different sectors to collaborate as much as possible to ensure logistics is sustainable and ecologically sound, such as by ensuring that electric vehicles are powered using clean energy.

This in turn allows for trade and passenger transportation to be low-carbon and sustainable and creates a feedback loop that can make future sustainability measures easier to implement in the future.

Ultimately, according to this report, customers, freight operators and governments each have a role to play in tackling climate change, and through cooperation can help cut carbon dioxide emissions.