The climate impact of transport

Types of transport

Air travel stands for roughly 12% of the total transport related emissions and generates up to 100 times more emissions than trains, depending on how it's calculated. Therefore, minimizing air transport is crucial. Generally, trains are preferable to car transport, unless it's an electric car. If fossil-fuel-driven road transport is unavoidable, diesel trucks powered by HVO are a better alternative. Buying local or regional goods and services also reduces the need for long-distance transport.

Fuel

The fuels used in transportation must be sustainable in the long term. Fossil fuels like gasoline, diesel, natural gas, aviation kerosene, and various marine oils need to be phased out. Rail transport has made the most progress in this transition and is almost fully electrified in Sweden and large parts of the world.

Electrification

Road transport is following suit with a significant increase in the sales of electric vehicles. During 2023 (Jan-Oct), rechargeable cars made up about 60% of new car sales, with electric cars accounting for about 40%. Many buses in public transportation run on pure or high-blend biofuels, and the reduction obligation (a requirement for biofuel blending) applies to fuel for road traffic, work machines, recreational boats, and aviation kerosene.

EU regulations

For EU countries, EU regulations will ensure that aviation and maritime fuels within the union gradually become more sustainable. These regulations require a certain percentage of the fuel to be renewable and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, starting in 2025 and with a significant increase in requirements after 2030. In addition to sustainable fuel measures, various regulations for electric vehicles have been introduced, such as subsidies for purchasing and charging. The climate impact of transportation can be reduced through the following measures:

• Review the energy efficiency of the vehicles used to transport the goods you buy or sell.
• Choose maritime transport over air transport globally and rail over diesel trucks. Locally, cycling or fossil-free vehicles are preferable.
• Ensure that transport is carried out using fossil-free fuels.
• Limit the traffic volume of transports - ship goods less frequently and coordinate transports where possible.

Consumer power

When shopping, you can choose products that do not weigh too much and are not transported too far. When shopping online, you can opt for solutions that reduce mileage, such as skipping home deliveries by courier and instead picking up the package at a collection point while running other errands.