Road traffic causes a third of all CO₂ emissions. Only by making sustainable mobility a priority can we counter the climate crisis. We show how it's done.
In 2020, road traffic was responsible for 29% of all CO₂ emissions in the EU. This makes mobility a significant contributor to the climate crisis. Even more concerning is that transport is the only sector in which emissions continue to rise. We keep driving more and producing ever more emissions.
As a society, we therefore need to rethink and reduce our emissions. This requires political measures and initiatives that promote sustainable transport. These include investments in public transport, the creation of bike-friendly cities, and the switch to electric vehicles.
But companies and we as individuals can also make a contribution. Mobility plays a major role, especially in our professional daily lives. On average, we spend 200 days a year at work. We commute to the office, meet clients, and go on business trips. Choosing sustainable mobility in our working lives therefore has a major impact on our personal and corporate carbon footprint.
Road traffic
Road traffic
E-cars, car sharing, micromobility: The mobility of the future is diverse
At the same time, it's becoming easier and easier to do without classic combustion engines. This is thanks to the many developments in the area of sustainable mobility. We present four such trends and their pros and cons:
E-mobility: Are electric cars the better alternative?
During operation, electric cars do not emit any climate-damaging greenhouse gases. This makes them the type of drive with the lowest emissions. Air pollutant and noise emissions are also greatly reduced. The technical development of electric cars is making great strides, with ever shorter charging times, greater ranges, and longer battery life. Charging options at home or at the workplace make charging convenient, and the number of public charging stations is also growing. However: The actual emission savings of electric cars depend on the electricity mix used and the vehicle model. External temperatures can lead to fluctuations in range and efficiency. And the production of batteries for electric vehicles requires resources such as lithium, nickel, or cobalt. Their extraction can have an impact on the environment. The rule here: smaller vehicles with smaller batteries need fewer resources. In any case, electric cars are a more sustainable alternative and therefore a smart decision for the future.
Electric car being charged
Electric car being charged
Sharing makes sense
Car sharing offers and carpools are also becoming increasingly popular, because their advantages are convincing. Car sharing users benefit, for example, from free parking spaces and comparatively low costs. However, shared mobility is still in its infancy in many areas, such as in the countryside. Overall, however, the offer is being used more and more often. For example, the number of registered car sharing users multiplied twelvefold between 2011 and 2022.
Off on holiday – but sustainably!
Have you ever thought about going on holiday by train? Compared to the car, the train is safer – and significantly more environmentally friendly. A kilometre travelled by combustion engine is more than 15 times more harmful to the climate than one travelled by train. And a flight is even more than 31 times more emissions-intensive compared to a train journey. Sure, ticket offers and direct connections are not always available. But with clever planning, travelling by train becomes more attractive too. And we're not the only ones who think so. Train occupancy and the number of holiday trips by train are increasing every year. In summer 2022, 15.5% of holiday trips were taken by train – the highest share since records began in 2003.
Passenger train
Passenger train
Micromobility – hop on, let's go!
They're popping up more and more often in cities and the countryside: e-bikes and e-scooters, which fall into the category of micromobility. These are low-emission means of transport for short distances. They function, for example, as feeders to classic public transport and bring you directly to your front door as needed. Micromobility also scores with low noise emissions and, unlike cars, requires less space on roads and in parking lots. As with electric cars, emission savings here also depend on the electricity mix used. And while micromobility is an alternative to the car on short distances, it has no savings potential compared to cycling or walking.
Road traffic continues to have a significant impact on our CO₂ emissions. Every year, more cars are on the roads, leading to more traffic jams, more frustration, and more air pollution. However, trends are heading in the right direction. And forecasts for 2040 also predict that motorised private transport will decrease, while public transport, cycling, and walking will increase.
E-scooter
E-scooter
We don't have to give up the benefits of mobility – but we need to rethink
One thing is clear: governments and urban planners must play a decisive role in creating sustainable transport systems and address structural problems. But sustainable mobility is also the responsibility of all of us. Because when more and more people rethink and switch, real change is possible. If we manage to rethink transport, we can use the freedom and autonomy of mobility without negative impacts on the environment.
So let's switch and choose green means of transport whenever possible. And so you can get started right away, we present three easy-to-implement measures:
Question your daily commuting habits
Especially if you commute to work by car, ask yourself whether there are more sustainable alternatives for your way to work. To start, leave the car at home once a week and switch to public transport, bicycle, car sharing and carpools, or e-mobility, or walk.
Did you know?
There's mileage allowance for cycling too! In some countries, mileage allowance can be claimed or deducted for tax purposes for business trips made with a private bicycle or e-bike. In Germany and Austria, this is between 30 and 38 cents per kilometre.
Ask whether your company provides public transport tickets. Does your company provide public transport tickets such as the ÖPNV, Klimaticket, or Deutschlandticket? This would not only be a nice employee benefit, but would also have a positive impact on the corporate carbon footprint.
Replace short-haul flights with train/bus
Many short-haul flights can easily be replaced by a train or bus connection. For all destinations you can reach within four hours by train or bus, skip the plane.
Did you know?
A round-trip flight from Vienna to Paris causes as much CO₂ as a train journey 60 times as long.
Want to learn more about the mobility of the future and discover further measures?
Find more climate protection knowledge here!
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