NEWS

TRANSPORTATION: Ministers tackle one of climate’s toughest issues

05/28/2008

Special to ClimateWire

LEIPZIG, Germany—Transport ministers from 51 countries as well as industry leaders, top researchers and others are converging on Leipzig, Germany, to attend the first meeting of what officials say will become a major annual conference on transportation, energy and climate change.

Energy efficiency, changing behaviors in passenger transport and the reduction of CO2 emissions in goods transport will be parts of the agenda of the International Transport Forum’s three-day annual meeting, starting today. The ITF is an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development intergovernmental organization, successor to the European Conference of Ministers of Transport.

Leipzig, already famous for its book and trade fairs, has been chosen as the current and future location of this event. Aware of the irony represented by a large number of people traveling by plane, train and car to a faraway place to discuss the effect of transportation on global warming, the ITF’s organizers are levying a carbon offset charge on all delegates. The funds raised will go to a renewable energy project in Brazil.

The organizers explained that the meeting fills a gap at the international level and predict that it will play a role for transport and energy similar to that played by the summit at Davos, Switzerland, for the world’s economy.

Apart from German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will be one of the speakers this year, the Leipzig deliberators will not have the same star quality as those who appear in Davos. And Leipzig, which endured decades of communism after being heavily damaged during World War II, may not be as glittering a destination as Davos. But Leipzig’s city fathers are quick to note that they represent not only Johann Sebastian Bach’s hometown, but a city that is determined to make a comeback.

Exploring dangerous political ground

The city hopes to gain new fame from being the place for resolving issues related to transportation, one of the toughest climate change issues because it is heavily freighted with politics. Tampering with utilities is one thing, but changing the way voters use their cars is difficult and even dangerous terrain for politicians.

Jack Short, secretary general of the ITF, said, "Leipzig is the place and the platform to build a global consensus on challenges facing the sector." Daniel Sperling, a panel member here and a professor of transportation engineering and environmental policy at the University of California, Davis, said, "It’s a good place to start." Global consensus on specific actions is unlikely, noted Davis, who has been in the thick of planning California’s climate regulations governing transportation, "but agreement on policy frameworks and goals is certainly possible."

Short outlined the daunting problem the ministers will face. Not only is the transport sector responsible for a significant and growing share of greenhouse gas emissions, but most indicators predict that transport activity and emissions will at least double in the next 30 years. "On the other hand, political objectives have set global emission reductions of the order of 50 percent by the middle of the century," Short added. "The stark conclusion is that we do not have the policies in place or planned that can stabilize, let alone reduce, transport emissions."

Werner Rothengatter, a professor at the University of Karlsruhe who is in charge of the forum’s workshop on freight transport and logistics, agreed, explaining that these policies are not yet in place because the costs of global warming are external; that is, "the polluter doesn’t have to pay."

"Until now, the Kyoto protocol represents a too-soft international agreement, insufficient for building a binding global framework for the internalization of CO2 costs," he added.

Sperling said he hopes for a mix of technological and political solutions. "If you think of the transport challenge as having three components—vehicle efficiency, low carbon fuels, and reduced travel—then I’d say the obstacles tend to be more political with vehicles and travel, and more technical with fuels," he said. "In other words, much technical innovation is needed to develop cost-competitive low-carbon fuels, but with vehicles and vehicle travel, it tends to be more a matter of political will and creativity."

The home of Bach and ‘Monsieur Mercedes’

Rothengatter said Europe has some important contributions to add to the mix. "The E.U. Commission plans, for instance, strong actions for including aviation in the ETS [European Trading Scheme] and for setting binding targets for the CO2 emissions of newly licensed cars [120 g/km]," he said. "It seems not unrealistic that international initiatives will be formed over the coming years to get specific actions under way."

Burkhard Jung, mayor of Leipzig, said the city’s traditions suit it for the task. "For centuries, Leipzig has benefited from its advantageous position within the trans-European transport network," he explained. "The city’s location at the crossing of two continental trade routes was an essential factor behind the emergence of the Leipzig Fair over 800 years ago."

The Transport Forum’s host city is also the birthplace of Emil Jellinek (1853-1918), an automobile fanatic who, according to Mercedes-Benz USA, participated in car races under his daughter’s name—Mercedes. Later, in the south of France, where he lived, he became known as "Monsieur Mercedes."