FTA exclusive: Decarbonising transport across Europe

Alex Veitch, Head of Multimodal Policy, FTA, explores the future and necessity of decarbonisation in multimodal transport throughout Europe
Earlier this year, the UK became the first major economy to legislate for a net-zero greenhouse gas emission target by 2050; this commitment has been set in law through an amendment to the Climate Change Act 2008. While other European countries are yet to implement such legislation, the European Commission is committed to decarbonising the transport sector overall, and recently set out its vision to achieve a climate-neutral economy by 2050. Broadly, there is a continent-wide commitment to reducing carbon emissions from international trade. In this article, Alex Veitch, the Head of Multimodal Policy at FTA, the business organisation representing the logistics sector, outlines prospects for decarbonisation across three transport modes: rail, air, and sea.
AIR
In the view of FTA, aviation is the most challenging transport mode to decarbonise. Demand for flights continues to soar across the globe, yet air transport is also the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Its unique environment – high altitudes, extreme temperatures and safety critical operations – only add to the complexity of finding a workable decarbonisation solution.
But progress is being made: many aviation experts now believe that hybrid or all-electric planes could be in use by 2050, following a successful cross-Channel flight of a Rolls-Royce and Airbus ‘E-Fan’ concept aircraft. But, in addition to modernising airport infrastructure, aircraft would need to be completely redesigned to become either hybrid or all-electric. While progress is being made with smaller aircraft, Airbus predicts that the technology required would not be viable in larger commercial planes until the 2030s. And when you consider that the typical aircraft fleet replacement typically takes around 20 years, reaching the 2050 deadline is looking increasingly unachievable.
While carbon offsetting – compensating for emissions made by reductions elsewhere by an equivalent amount – is not a feasible solution for most transport modes, in the view of FTA, it is for aviation. Instead of developing their own initiative, countries should look towards the Carbon Offsetting & Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) for guidance, created by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
While carbon offsetting and electric planes hold considerable promise for the environment, unless a viable long-term solution can be found soon, governments may be forced to reduce the number of flights to ensure they stay within any imposed carbon limitations.
SEA
Like aviation, shipping is a truly international part of the supply chain; as such, environmental regulations must all be set at a global level, through the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The organisation has set a goal to reduce the total annual GHGs from the sector by at least half by 2050, with the ambition to move to a completely zero-carbon shipping system eventually. But – and this is also similar to aviation – decarbonising the sector poses many challenges. There are a wide array of technical and economic barriers preventing the sector from moving to low-carbon or zero-carbon fuels in the near future.
Because of this, it seems likely that the shipping sector’s contribution to GHG reduction for the next 20-30 years will be through incremental gains in fuel efficiency, rather than radical moves to zero-carbon fuels. There are already a number of measures underway to improve efficiency, driven by a combination of business need to keep fuel costs minimised, as well as environmental factors. These include maximising load factors on the largest vessels; adopting so-called ‘slow steaming’ to manage burn-rates; and at the ship-design stage, the adoption of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI).
With global shipping set to grow rapidly in the next few decades – especially for unitised or containerised cargo – we need hope to see significant improvements in fuel efficiency very soon.
RAIL
Rail freight is set to play a larger role in the movement of goods in the UK and internationally. Its use is increasing steadily, with the total volume of rail freight moved rising by three per cent year-on-year. Of the three transport modes covered in this article, rail has the clearest path to decarbonisation. And the opportunities for change are significant given that rail freight is, per tonne/km, a far lower environmental polluter than other forms of surface transport; rail should seek to maintain this leadership position.
In the view of FTA, electrifying the network is most practical way to decarbonise rail; it is also the most attainable. While Switzerland is the only European country where all railway lines in use are electrified, several others are not far behind: 95% of all Luxembourg’s railway systems are powered this way. The average for EU-28 countries is 54%; the UK lags behind this with only 34% of its current rail network electrified.
The key reason why the UK is falling behind, in the view of FTA, is the costs associated with building the infrastructure; many recent electrification schemes have been cancelled due to cost overruns. Recently, the Railway Industry Association has strongly challenged the high costs historically paid to electrify UK rail networks, arguing in a 2019 report that rail electrification can be delivered at between a third and a half of the cost of some past projects, providing the government commits to a rolling programme of work. Further work by RIA and FTA members shows that the rail freight sector could be two-thirds electrified by 2033 if the government carries out an ‘infill’ approach, electrifying strategic parts of the network in a staged way.
For rail freight operators, a clear long-term electrification strategy is crucial so that commercial decisions on locomotive replacement can be made. In the UK, many freight rail diesel locomotives are now approximately half-way through their life cycle; now would be an ideal time to kick off a refreshed electrification strategy to help the UK catch up with its more advanced neighbours.
While all forms of transport – rail, air, sea and road – have a vital role to play in creating a carbon-neutral economy, the unique operating environment of each mode means they will achieve this in very different ways. From electrification to carbon offsetting, innovative solutions will pave the way to a carbon-neutral future, but whether EU member states will achieve the European Commission’s vision to achieve a climate-neutral economy by 2050 remains to be seen.
Efficient logistics is vital to keep Britain trading, directly having an impact on more than seven million people employed in the making, selling and moving of goods.  With Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc.  A champion and challenger, FTA speaks to Government with one voice on behalf of the whole sector, with members from the road, rail, sea.
 
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