Transport Emission Trading Scheme
Could an 'emissions trading scheme' be the way to reduce CO2 emissions from Europe's truck fleet? That was among the topics discussed at the International Transport Forum. Cutting CO2 emissions from road transport took centre stage during a two-day meeting of experts from Europe and the US at the International Transport Forum (ITF) in Paris. Several possible methods of reducing emissions are already in place, including the London Low Emissions Zone. But the scheme expected to become the European standard is an extension of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) to trucks, vans and other vehicles.
The EU ETS, which sets quotas for CO2 emissions from heavy industry, is to be extended to include the airline industry, with each EU country setting emissions quotas which are then shared between polluters. Companies that pollute more than their allocation must 'buy' quotas from 'cleaner' firms. The European Commission hopes this system will make it more economical for companies to clean up their act. Whether it could be expanded to include road transport is still under discussion at the EC. This possibility was the subject of a presentation at the ITF by Charles Raux of the Transport Economics Laboratory at the University of Lyon in France.
