Transport & Environment (T&E)

EV sales continue to grow in Europe. But Germany held back the EU electric car market in the first half of 2024, new data shows. While battery electric sales in the rest of the EU (excluding Germany) increased by 9.4%, in the whole of the EU with Germany they only increased by 1.3%. The abrupt removal of purchase subsidies in Germany contributed to a 16.4% decrease in BEV sales in the country in the first half of 2024. Meanwhile, EV sales during the first half of the year grew in European markets with supportive regulatory environments: ➡️In France, which has a social leasing scheme, BEV sales increased by 14.9% ➡️In Italy, BEV sales increased by 7%, with a sales peak in June 2024 when new EV incentives were launched ➡️In Belgium, the company car segment drove the BEV market with a 47.8% increase ➡️In the UK, the ZEV mandate has driven the BEV market, with sales increasing by 9.2% It’s not too late for Germany to correct its regulatory environment to be more supportive of EV investment and avoid stagnation. The German government should use its upcoming budget to drive electrification in the company car sector – as seen in Belgium which has attractive depreciation rates for EVs and is phasing out depreciation for combustion engines. Lucien Mathieu, cars director at T&E, said: “Germany is the sick man of Europe when it comes to electric cars. Meanwhile, markets which have strong, predictable incentives for EV adoption are reaping the rewards. Germany’s CDU lawmakers in Brussels should stop trying to weaken the EU’s 2035 target and instead actually promote electric vehicles.” Transport & Environment (T&E) Deutschland Julia Poliscanova #ElectricCars #Germany #Industry

New research out now from RMI outlines the problem with contrails in aviation and what we can do to address it. This is a positive first step in showing how contrail avoidance can tackle aviation’s warming impact. But this can only come to life with serious regulation to monitor, assess and avoid these effects if aviation wants to reduce its climate impact this decade. Learn more by checking out the report 👇

Flying taxis were introduced as the urban mobility solution of the future. But what exactly are they, and are they really the solution to aviation’s climate problem we should be focusing our attention on? (Spoiler: the answer is no.) As the 2024 Olympic Games kick off in Paris, these aircraft – called eVTOLs – have been getting lots of coverage as many of the main manufacturers plan to show them off to the public during the event. eVTOLs are electric two-seater aircraft that can take off and land vertically, similar to a private helicopter. Completely electric, these luxury jets were celebrated as a win for sustainable aviation. However, the reality is that they are solving a problem that never really existed in the first place and will only be used by a wealthy few to skip traffic. The flying taxis craze is a great example of why we shouldn’t be getting swept up in fake solutions to decarbonise aviation that will actually only benefit the rich. Instead, the sector should focus its time and resources to develop cleaner solutions that actually tackle aviation’s climate impact – sufficient quantities of sustainable aviation fuel or hydrogen-powered planes. Marte van der Graaf #eVTOL #FlyingTaxi #SustainableAviation #ParisOlympics

Turkey becomes the latest country to plan to regulate shipping emissions👏 The Turkish Parliament has approved plans to tax ships entering or leaving its ports in the country's upcoming carbon market. This will regulate over 10 million tonnes of CO2 -- more than Luxembourg emits in a year. Slowly but surely, governments are ending the Wild West of global shipping pollution. #Turkey #Shipping #ETS #CarbonMarket

In recent months, the US and the EU have looked to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in an attempt to foster more diverse domestic supply chains, countering what is viewed as over-subsidized competition from China. While these tariffs will support a stronger domestic EV market, the EU must ensure they are accompanied by policy that secures greater investment in the European market. There is no doubt that China currently dominates the market. Estimates suggest that China controls 85% of global lithium-ion battery output and exported most of EVs into Europe in 2023. But as the EU looks to apply a nearly 50% tariff on some Chinese EVs, we can’t forget the role that strong regulation – such as Europe’s 2035 cars regulation – plays in attracting battery investment and scaling the European EV market. “The European green agenda has come with a promise of green jobs and green growth,” T&E’s Julia Poliscanova told Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. “And if the entire transition is relying on imported technology, those jobs won’t materialise.” Read the article ➡️ https://lnkd.in/euqazh7M

This week the aviation industry is at the Farnborough Airshow showing off its newest aircraft. But despite new research from The International Council on Clean Transportation showing that the sector is set to completely overshoot its climate targets, these displays show little progress toward limiting the climate impact of aviation – like hydrogen planes or jets completely powered by sustainable fuels. T&E calls on the biggest manufacturers – Airbus and Boeing – to stop producing polluting jets as soon as possible. They should instead be directing their resources towards producing the zero emission aircraft that will be the difference between surpassing the sector’s carbon budget by 2035 or steering the sector to carbon neutrality. #Aviation #ZeroEmission #Hydrogen Jo Dardenne

The aviation industry is racing toward a complete overshoot of its climate targets. But despite its target to achieve net zero by 2050, the sector hasn’t made any real effort toward delivering zero-emission aircraft or developing enough supply of sustainable fuels to satisfy its out-of-control growth. A new report from The International Council on Clean Transportation demonstrates that the current delivery projections made by aircraft manufacturers are not consistent with their 2050 net zero target. For these targets to be met, all new aircraft after 2035 would need to be zero-emission. It’s time for the aviation industry to get serious about developing new planes that don’t require fossil fuels, while ramping up the production of SAF. Otherwise, there must be a real effort made to slow the runaway growth in the sector’s demand. Read the full report at the link in our comments. #Aviation #SAF #ZeroEmission

The European Commission has announced anti-dumping tariffs of up to 36.4% on Chinese biodiesel imports. This is a step in the right direction, but tariffs alone will not be enough to prevent fraudulent palm oil from entering the European market. Read our reaction 👇 https://lnkd.in/eNjXdaDy #Biofuels #PalmOil #AntiDumping #Tariffs

NEW: Some of the most polluting flight routes – such as Amsterdam-Shanghai or Luxembourg-Hong Kong – will not be included in the European Commission’s plan for monitoring non-CO2 emissions from aviation. The Commission’s decision to exclude long-haul flights from the scope of its monitoring scheme will see 67% of aviation’s contrail climate impact ignored. Long-haul flights leaving or entering Europe cause two-thirds of Europe’s aviation climate impact. However, largely driven by pressure from long-haul airlines, monitoring in the first two years will only apply to flights within Europe. Among the top 100 most polluting routes, only five are covered under the plan meant to kick in January 2025. This decision will further delay the understanding of non-CO2 emissions and hinder action on the full climate impact of aviation. The Commission still has a public consultation on the topic underway, which will close on 29 July. It should use this opportunity to reverse its decision and ensure all flights into or out of Europe are included in the non-CO2 monitoring scheme before it’s too late to take action. Read our full legal analysis and have your say at the Commission’s public consultation at the link in the comments. Opportunity Green easyJet Estuaire #Aviation #nonCO2 #MRV

EU at a crossroads - no longer! EU chief Von der Leyen was just voted in for a second round by newly elected MEPs. Her 2024-29 roadmap makes steps to drive clean industry Made in Europe, spurring Europe’s global competitiveness and climate leadership. In the coming 5 years Europe needs to: 1️⃣Focus on the implementation of the European Green Deal as well as unlocking public and private investments. This must be supported by enshrining the 2040 target into law with at least 90%.  2️⃣Keeping the 2035 zero emissions target for cars is paramount to the investment certainty in Europe with so much battery investment coming under risk. 3️⃣Equip investment needs to green tech industries Made in Europe, from batteries to hydrogen, with enough firepower and support Europe’s green tech companies and make fossil businesses pay for it. #VonDerLeyen #EuropeanCommission Julia Poliscanova (she/her)