Transport is estimated to result in c. 20% of the man-made emissions from energy related activities. Internal combustion engines (such as those used in cars), marine engines and aircraft engines burn fuels to extract chemical energy and convert this into kinetic energy. In doing so, the consumption of energy through transport releases the carbon trapped in transport fuels to the atmosphere, contributing to a release of CO2 from the land store to the atmospheric store.
Whilst the emission intensity of vehicles is reducing as a result of technological advances (in certain cases driven by government policy), global demand for transport is increasing. In a globalised world, the increasing flow of goods, services and people results in increased energy consumption from transport. De-coupling global GDP growth and emissions from the transport sector is a key requirement of mitigating climate change. The promotion of local markets for goods and services, mass transit systems, the electrification of vehicles and further improvements in engine technologies are all part of this mitigation effort.
