Arie Bleijenberg – Transport & Environment

The Economist is wrong to claim car-addicted US cities are more accessible than Europe’s, here’s why

Sam Hargreaves — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 17:56:17 +0000

“In praise of America’s car addiction – How vehicle-dependence makes the country fairer and more efficient” was a headline in The Economist last November. The opposite is true. Findings, cited by the Economist, as well as from other studies, show the contrary. The Economist concluded that American cities-centres are more accessible than Europe’s. However, it based its conclusion on an outdated...

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T&E’s view on industrial policy

Sam Hargreaves — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 16:32:48 +0000

The world is facing the prospect of catastrophic climate change. The good news is many of the solutions to rapidly and radically cut emissions caused by burning coal, oil and gas are there. The challenge is to get electric cars, heat pumps, electrolysers, and wind and solar to fully replace fossil combustion as fast as we can. This is an industrial and political challenge. So it is right that...

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The quest for a single European rail app

Diane Vitry — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 07:59:51 +0000

Last October T&E held its board meeting in Madrid. I decided to travel by train. The Deutsche Bahn route planner that I always use for international trains, showed that I could make the trip from The Netherlands to Madrid in one day. Great! However, I could not buy a ticket from Rotterdam to Madrid anywhere, and it took me a full eight hours to book sixteen separate tickets...

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Mobility policy mostly makes a false start

Sam Hargreaves — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 08:34:32 +0000

Mainstream transport policy papers typically state as a goal something like: “we want sustainable and affordable mobility for all”. At first sight this looks good. How could anyone object to this? However, only the sustainable part is correct, mobility and affordability are not. Mobility is often regarded as a goal in itself but it is just a means to get access. Instead of mobility...

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Lessons from the ‘living without Russian gas miracle’

Diane Vitry — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 22:01:05 +0000

The predicted large negative economic impacts of a ban on Russian gas did not occur, fitting a pattern of overestimating the negative consequences of strict environmental policy measures. This is slowing down the green transition. Policy assessments need to be independent from business interests to remove this unjustified brake Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022...

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Trucks: Less time stuck in traffic

Sam Hargreaves — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 23:01:20 +0000

Logistics cause 11% to 12% of global CO2 emissions. Road transport accounts for around two thirds of this. Even with the fastest possible switch to electric trucks, the logistics industry is not on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. In Europe, 8% of trucks would still run on diesel mid-century. Up to 2050, no less than one-fifth of the permitted greenhouse gas emissions in...

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Does the Dutch court case against Shell have consequences for National Road Authorities?

Diane Vitry — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 22:01:03 +0000

Last year the Dutch court in the Hague ordered Shell to reduce its CO 2 emissions by at least 45% by the end of 2030[1]. The ruling includes emissions from the burning of the fuels it sells in cars, trucks, ships and planes. These so-called scope 3 emissions cover three-quarters of Shell’s total climate impact[2]. Could national road authorities likewise be held responsible for the emissions of...

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What would the airline industry do if they were serious about achieving carbon free flying in 2050?

Diane Vitry — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 07:13:07 +0000

What would the airline industry do if they were serious about achieving carbon free flying in 2050? First, they will ask for government regulation. Voluntary agreements do not work, nor do long-term aspirational goals. Instead, regulation provides certainty and a path forward. This helps front runners to advance their business case and forces laggards to catch up. A level playing field requires...

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Is it possible to fly to New York without emitting CO2?

Sam Hargreaves — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 15:00:58 +0000

Last year, a friend came to me with an interesting request. They wanted to fly to New York, without emitting CO2. This person wanted to use e-kerosene for her part of the fuel burned and was prepared to pay all the extra costs. I was asked where to purchase the e-kerosene and what the price would be. This started my surprising journey. First the easy part. Roughly 400 litres of fuel is burned for...

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The Kremlin versus the Green Deal

Sam Hargreaves — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 12:55:59 +0000

The recent hike in the price of natural gas has been a wake-up call for many. Opinions differ, however, on how to react. The fivefold increase of the gas price since March this year, clearly shows how dependent Europe is on imports of gas, of which 40% comes from Russia. Putin has used the gas tap before to influence Ukrainian politics and many observers assume that the pressure this time is aimed...

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