Introduction

International efforts to keep global warming below 2˚C and avoid catastrophic climate change
require systematic cuts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in all areas of human activity.
Transport currently accounts for about a quarter of EU GHG emissions, making it the second
highest emitting sector after the energy industries. While in other sectors, GHG emissions have
been decreasing, in the transport domain they have raised by as much as 30% over the past 25
years. Tackling growing emissions has become a matter of urgency. EU measures to cut
emissions from transport focus mostly on carbon dioxide (CO2) as the main GHG.

While at international level the EU strives for a global approach and adoption of binding targets
by the relevant regulatory organisations, it has also set its own internal targets and put policies in
place to reduce GHG emissions from individual transport modes. These include an emissions
trading system, binding standards for new engines, rules for fuel quality and promotion of
alternative fuels.

Worldwide, the imperative to reduce emissions has led many countries and cities to adopt their
own legislation or put concrete measures in place, some of which are being shared, adapted and
replicated.

The European Parliament continues to play an active role in promoting low-carbon transport and
supporting ambitious climate policies. An EP delegation will take part in the 21st Conference of
the Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) in Paris, starting on 30 November 2015

Transportation accounts for nearly a third of our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, and its
emissions are growing more rapidly than other sectors. In this report, authors David Greene and
Andreas Schafer find that numerous opportunities are available now and in the future to reduce
the transportation sector’s impact on climate. Many of these same actions would also address
other national priorities, including reducing U.S. dependence on oil imports.

This latest Pew Center report is the first building block in our effort to examine key sectors,
technologies, and policy options to construct the “10-50 Solution” to climate change. The idea is
that we need to tackle climate change over the next fifty years, one decade at a time. This report
points to the following key elements of the 10-50 Solution to transportation.

 We can start now, and we must start now. Fuel economy for cars and trucks could be
increased by 25-33 percent over the next 10 to 15 years using market-ready technology at
a net savings, if fuel savings are taken into account. Increasing efficiency of vehicles
(aircraft, car, trucks and trains) takes time because fleet turnover typically takes 15 years
or more.
 We will need a sustained effort over many decades. Technologies on the horizon are
likely to enable fuel economy improvements in cars and light trucks of 50 to 100 percent
 by 2030. Transforming land-use patterns to enable more efficient travel, or transitioning
to a hydrogen based transportation system, will require decades of incremental change.
 R&D and voluntary efforts are necessary but not sufficient; mandatory policies are
essential. Since fuel economy is undervalued in the marketplace, policies such as
mandatory standards and public information are needed to pull technological
improvements into the market. Fuel economy has gotten worse recently not because of
lack of technology, but because of lack of policy. Hydrogen holds out the tantalizing
promise of near-zero greenhouse gas emissions, but government must provide clear
policy direction to drive massive private investment by the fuel and vehicle industries.
 We need a mix of policies, and there are many to choose from. Opportunities for
significant emission reductions include implementing a carbon constraint, raising
efficiency standards for automobiles, blending low-carbon fuels with gasoline, and
changing land-use patterns through urban design and planning. Each of these measures
could contribute to reducing GHG emissions, but none is sufficient alone. The authors
estimate that a combination of reasonable measures would reduce carbon emissions by
about 20 percent by 2015, and almost 50 percent by 2030, compared to “business as
usual.”

he national program for greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and fuel economy standards for light-
duty vehicles (passenger cars and trucks) was developed jointly by EPA and the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The standards were established in two phases:

 Phase 1 - Model years 2012 - 2016; and
 Phase 2 - Model years 2017 - 2025.

Together the final standards are projected to:

 Result in an average industry fleetwide level of 163 grams/mile of carbon dioxide (CO2)
in model year 2025, which is equivalent to 54.5 miles per gallon (mpg) (if achieved
exclusively through fuel economy improvements);
 Cut 6 billion metric tons of GHG over the lifetimes of the vehicles sold in model years
2012-2025;
 Save families more than $1.7 trillion in fuel costs; and
 Reduce America’s dependence on oil by more than 2 million barrels per day in 2025.

As part of the 2012 rulemaking establishing the model year (MY) 2017-2025 light-duty vehicle
greenhouse gas (GHG) standards, EPA made a regulatory commitment to conduct a Midterm
Evaluation (MTE) of the standards for MY 2022-2025. As a part of this process, EPA is
examining a wide range of factors, such as developments in powertrain technology, vehicle
electrification, light-weighting and vehicle safety impacts, the penetration of fuel efficient
technologies in the marketplace, consumer acceptance of fuel efficient technologies, trends in
fuel prices and the vehicle fleet, employment impacts, and many others.
EPA’s regulations require several formal steps in the MTE process, including opportunities for
public input.

 Step 1: Draft Technical Assessment Report (TAR) issued jointly with the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the California Air Resources
Board (CARB) with opportunity for public comment. (July 2016)
 Step 2: The EPA Administrator made a Proposed Determination with opportunity for
public comment. (November 2016) (This step is being reevaluated under the direction of
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt)
 Step 3: The EPA Administrator must make a final determination with regard to whether
the standards remain appropriate or should be changed by April 1, 2018.