Mobility is a fundamental human need and essential to prosperity but the current paradigm for mobility is not sustainable. Car trips cause millions of deaths each year, a substantial amount of greenhouse gas emissions is linked to transport and congestion causes heavy financial losses. The global mobility system is undergoing significant transformation as new technologies enable innovative transport options and policy makers pursue a more intelligent, clean and inclusive mobility (World Economic Forum Strategic Intelligence (weforum.org).
The transport system is fundamental to people, businesses and global supply chains. The sector is essential for sustainable development and has the potential to improve the lives of billions of people, meeting the needs of the people and businesses of today and the expectations of future generations. Transport enables us to access the things we need: work, markets and products, social interaction, cultural activities and education.
Sustainable mobility is a safe, inexpensive, fair, accessible and efficient system that can help mitigate the effects of climate change and adaptation, by reducing emissions and all other environmental impacts.
TRANSPORT SECTOR HIGHLIGHTS
According to IEA (International Energy Agency) data, the transport sector was responsible for 24% of the direct CO2 emissions deriving from fuel combustion in 2020 (IEA website: Transport- improving the sustainability of passenger and freight transport. 2020 / Transport – Topics – IEA). It also accounted for 57% of global demand for oil and 28% of total energy consumption (IEA. Global Energy Review 2020. The impacts of COVID-19 on global energy demand and CO2 emissions. 2020: Oil – Global Energy Review 2020 – Analysis – IEA).
24%DIRECT CO2 EMISSIONS
57% GLOBAL DEMAND FOR OIL
28% TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION
NATIONAL RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE PLAN (NRRP)
The NRRP is part of Next Generation EU, the economic recovery plan for member states. The plan is guided by transversal priorities (the new generations, gender parity and the gap between citizens) and has 6 Missions corresponding to the six pillars of Next Generation EU, including Infrastructure for sustainable mobility for the construction of a modern and accessible railway network and to improve mobility for citizens and freight (Mission 3).
EU GREEN DEAL
The transport sector contributes around 5% to the EU’s GDP and employs over 10 million people in Europe. At the same time, transport carries significant costs in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and pollutant emissions, noise, road accidents and congestion. The transport sector accounts for 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions of European Union countries.
The European target is to achieve a 90% decrease in the emission of climate-changing gases by 2050. Urban mobility is responsible for 23% of the European transport emissions. 70% of European citizens live in cities and this percentage will rise to 84% by 2050. The number of fatal accidents lined to transport will be near zero in all EU countries by 2050. Today, 38% of fatal accidents occur in cities and 70% relate to the most vulnerable road users (such as children and cyclists). [I trasporti e il Green Deal | Commissione europea (europa.eu)].
Reduce the dependence on fossil fuels
- High-speed railway traffic will double by
2030. - Railway freight traffic will double by 2050.
Integrated electronic ticketing will facilitate seamless multimodal passenger transport by 2030. Freight transport documentation will be paperless.
Build and strong and resilient market:
- Investments in transport infrastructure in all EU member states.
- A trans-european multimodal transport network will be fully operational by 2050 for sustainable and smart transport with high-speed connections.
Create a fair and equitable mobility system for all:
- accessible and convenient mobility in all regions and for all passengers;
- improve the conditions of transport workers
Ensure the highest standards of safety and protection in European transport:
- the number of deaths from all modes of transport in the EU will be close to zero by 2050.