Report identifies potential to cut oil demand and CO2
Sat 16 December 2006
View all news
A new report for Greenpeace by the Institute for European Environmental Policy says that under 'business-as-usual' oil demand will rise by nearly 20% by 2030 and the transport sector will become increasingly dominant as the chief sectoral consumer of oil products. However with different policies, oil demand could be cut by a quarter in 2030 relative to its 2005 level.
The report's authors note that there is a close link between cutting oil consumption and reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but their report focuses primarily on the outlook for oil demand under different policy scenarios.
Not all policy options to save oil are expensive, the authors claim. Indeed, some appear to be very cheap or free, could be implemented rapidly, and might pay for themselves very quickly. This is more likely to occur if oil prices persist at recent high levels or rise even further.
The report says that the key areas for policy focus include:-
- Encouraging the introduction of vehicles that are more fuel-efficient.
- Speeding the introduction of lower carbon, alternative transport fuels.
- Improving the efficiency of the transport system, ensuring that people and goods are transported in a way that minimises fuel use.
- Reducing overall travel by road pricing, congestion charging and more home working.
Serious political will is the main requirement for the implementation of alternative policies that could cut the UK and European dependence on oil and at the same time reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport.
Related Links
Greenpeace report link
< Back to news list