Transport

Transport Emissions

The transport sector is responsible for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, and it is the only sector where they have been on the rise since the 1990s. The European Green Deal aims at reducing emissions from the transport sector by 90% by 2050. In order to reverse the trend and achieve our decarbonisation objectives, a variety of solutions will be necessary.

Gas in Transport

Compared to conventional transport fuels, natural gas and its renewable and low-carbon counterparts can bring significant reductions in CO2 emissions and air pollutants. Increasing the capabilities of vehicles to run on gaseous solutions through improved refuelling and bunkering networks is not only a relatively quick solution for the transport industry to improve its carbon footprint, but it is also associated with better air quality.

The infrastructure that supports natural gas can also be used with renewable and synthetic alternatives such as biomethane and e-methane, leading to even greater GHG emission reductions. These alternatives are especially pertinent for the maritime and heavy-duty road transport vehicles which are more challenging to electrify. Other gaseous fuels such as hydrogen and its derivatives, notably methanol and ammonia, are alternative drop-in fuels for decarbonising navigation.

Decarbonising Transport

Eurogas supports the scaleup of LNG, renewable and low-carbon fuels to respond to the urgent transport decarbonisation needs. For the transport sector to reach climate targets, alternative fuels such as natural gas, biomethane, hydrogen, methanol and ammonia should benefit from the regulatory certainty that will attract investors and enable market uptake.

Eurogas is actively advocating for the recognition of the benefits of gaseous fuels in the EU transport framework and for the development of the necessary enabling conditions, such as infrastructure and financing. We cover a wide range of transport related legislation, including the Renewable Energy Directive, the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation, FuelEU Maritime, the CO₂ Standards for Light- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles , Euro 7, CountEmissions EU, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA).

Eurogas also advocates for a more comprehensive approach to accounting for GHG emissions of fuels in the transport sector, covering at least energy lifecycle emissions such as proposed in the CountEmissions EU initiative. Such an approach can ensure a level playing field among different energy vectors.

Eurogas Membership: Transport Division

Eurogas has a strong focus on gas in transport. For readers interested in supporting our objectives, Eurogas offers a tailor-made membership in its Transport Division that allows access to all of our work on transport-related issues.

Transport

Eurogas’ guiding principles on low-carbon fuels.