Finland joins several traffic declarations in Glasgow – commitments encourage countries to move towards carbon-neutral road, shipping and air transport
Finland is participating in the six transport initiatives adopted at the Glasgow Conference on Climate Change. Countries are committed to reducing emissions by road, sea and air. Most of these statements were published on Traffic Day 10.11.2021.
Transport is not on the official agenda of the Conference on Climate Change, but at the initiative of the British Presidency in particular, the countries are also agreeing on a number of transport initiatives. This means that the transport sector now has a more prominent role than in previous conferences.
“The declarations send a clear message that more and more countries are planning to phase out the use of fossil fuels, whether by road, sea or air. Glasgow’s commitments are well in line with Finland’s ambitious climate goals. The declarations strengthen Finland’s role as a high-tech country that develops climate-friendly solutions for transport, says the Minister of Transport and Communications. Timo Harakka.
“Emission reductions in the transport sector are critical to achieving the 1.5 degree target. The declarations reinforce international climate policy and national action. Finland considers it very important that we find ways to achieve carbon-free maritime transport, because in practice it can be said that Finland is an island “, Minister of the Environment and Climate Krista Mikkonen says.
Zero-emission new passenger cars and vans by 2035
A declaration on zero-emission vehicles was also published at the Climate Change Conference. The signatories, including Finland, undertake to promote the goal of zero-emission all passenger cars and vans by 2035 or earlier. For the purposes of this Declaration, “zero-emission vehicle” means a passenger car or a van whose exhaust does not cause greenhouse gas emissions.
The declaration is well in line with the Fit for 55 package published by the European Commission on 15 July 2021. The Commission has proposed stricter limits on CO2 emissions from new passenger cars and vans. In practice, this would mean that in 2035, a sensible option for car manufacturers would be to produce only zero-emission cars and vans.
30% of new medium and heavy duty vehicles will be zero-emission by 2030
For medium and heavy duty vehicles (MHDV), the countries signed a memorandum of understanding. The goal is for at least 30 percent of new MHDV car sales to be zero-emission by 2030. In addition, the signatories aim for all new MHDV cars to be zero-emission by 2040. The initiative applies to both passenger and freight transport.
In the Memorandum of Understanding, zero-emission vehicles are zero-emission vehicles, ie electric and hydrogen vehicles. The Memorandum of Understanding supports the development of the Finnish battery and electric car cluster. Progress towards the target is monitored annually.
Finland has also joined the initiative on charging infrastructure for electric road vehicles, in which the signatories undertake to speed up the construction of the infrastructure. Charging infrastructure is a key prerequisite for the electrification of the transport sector and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Nationally, biogas has also been identified as an important source of power as we work to phase out the use of fossil fuels in road transport. When life cycle emissions are taken into account, biogas is a climate-friendly option that also promotes the circular economy.
Carbon-free sea routes
Clydebank’s declaration encourages pioneering work by developing emission-free shipping lanes, green shipping lanes to set an example to the world. The declaration is named after a Scottish port and shipyard city.
States can identify potential shipping routes and, together with ports and shipping companies, develop innovative model solutions for the public and private sectors. The aim of the declaration is to support the IMO’s efforts to reduce emissions and to show that certain shipping routes can be operated completely free of fossil fuels over the next few years.
Finland does not yet have carbon-free shipping routes. The use of biofuels and biofuel blends in ships is growing and hybrid solutions have been introduced in which ships are partly electric. In addition, we have ferry routes in Finland that have the potential for wider electrification.
Finland is also participating in the declaration launched by Denmark, which aims for zero-emission shipping by 2050. The decision to set a similar, more stringent target for the International Maritime Organization is due to be negotiated at a meeting of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee at the end of November. .
Zero net emissions from aviation by 2050
In line with the EU’s common position, Finland supports the declaration, which will intensify efforts to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation at a certain pace. According to the declaration, the goal is to achieve the CO2 emissions target for aviation by 2050. The goal will help keep the global average temperature rise at 1.5 degrees. The Declaration recognizes the role of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as an appropriate forum to contribute to this goal. Actions include ensuring that the CORSIA system for compensating and reducing emissions from international aviation is as effective as possible. A key milestone here is the ICAO General Assembly in 2022. The declaration also commits countries to developing and deploying sustainable aviation fuels.
Source: Ministry of Transport and Communications and Ministry of the Environment