Chapter 15. Road transport: the biggest chunk

Part Three. Mobility in a low-carbon societyWith 10.7% of global GHG emissions and 17.0% of global CO2 emissions from fuel combustion in 2005 (ITF, 2010), road transport is a key component of the transport sector's commitment to mitigating its impact on climate. While there is no silver bullet that will provide sufficient abatement given the scale of the effort needed in this complex sector, a review of existing and emerging low-carbon solutions reveals a range of promising levies. Long ignored by carbon pricing mechanisms, the sector will certainly see its emissions abatement furthered by the growing number of carbon pricing initiatives targeted at it. This chapter outlines the global trends of greenhouse gas emissions in the road transport sector and suggests a segmented analysis for those emissions. It then reviews technological, organizational and behavioural solutions for emissions reduction in road transport. Finally, it assesses the potential impacts of economic instruments and other public policies related to carbon emissions reduction, giving a feedback on existing carbon pricing experience in road transport