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https://theconversation.com/wondering-how-to-get-from-brisbane-to-melbourne-without-wrecking-the-climate-our-transport-choices-make-a-huge-difference-237396>
"Australian transport emissions are still growing. As a result, transport is
expected to be our biggest-emitting sector by 2030. So, cutting transport
emissions is crucial to Australia’s net-zero strategy.
Studies show electrifying passenger vehicles and trucks will greatly reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. But the switch to electric vehicles is slow. It won’t
be enough to reach net-zero by 2050.
Other strategies are needed. That’s where the concept of “mode shift” comes in.
It involves shifting passengers and freight to lower-emission forms of
transport such as electric rail and shipping.
In two new research papers, a colleague and I show what a big impact this could
have on Australia’s emissions. We used the Inland Rail project linking Brisbane
and Melbourne as a case study of the potential impacts of shifts between
land-based transport, shipping and aviation. (The route comprises 12 sections,
some already operational, some being built and others in the planning phase.)
We modelled the total emissions of these modes for three years: 2019, 2030 and
2050.
We found electric rail is hands down the land transport mode with the lowest
emissions intensity (the amount of greenhouse gas produced per kilometre
travelled) for both passengers and freight. When we included air and sea
transport, we found electric rail and shipping have the lowest emissions. Air
transport in Australia is in a class of its own as its emissions performance is
so much worse than other modes, particularly for freight.
It will be very hard to reach zero emissions in the transport sector in a
timely fashion. To get there will require all hands on deck for the freight
sector but also for personal travel and the choices we make."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
