A new low-carbon transportation strategy for Europe must emphasize waterways and rail, according to the European Commission’s new paper. The EU’s first plan to integrate the continent’s infrastructure was created in 1993, when the union only included 15 member countries. Now that number has swelled to 27, and climate change concerns have swept to the forefront of many EC debates, leading the commission to determine, “New infrastructures need to be designed in such a way as to climate-proof them and build in sufficient resilience from the outset.”
The paper does support other technologies like hydrogen that could improve aviation and shipping emissions in the long term, and acknowledges that the latest research on hybrids and EV is promising. But in the meantime, the EU should work on improving existing or constructing new rail corridors, eliminating bottlenecks on inland canals and promoting their commercial use, and improving major road links.
(From Railway Technology)
The same is true for North America; we need to move our goods by rail, ship and barge, with hybrid and electric trucks coming into the picture for short hauls.
Hydrogen for aviation, really?
I know that they’re testing fuel cells for smaller planes and using fuel cells to run the electrical systems in larger planes, but I don’t think anyone is seriously thinking that it could be an alternative anytime soon… Cripes hydrogen cars are still 15-20 years away, and that’s if we invest billions in the technology — money that could be better spent elsewhere, as you know.