A Comprehensive Program as Fundamental Policy
How the Transportation Sector Fits into Comprehensive, Economy-wide CO2 Reductions
The Integrated Approach to Sustainable Mobility
Worldwide, countries have built an economy reliant on the power of carbon — carbon from burning fossil fuels. Consequently, to “decarbonise” our economy is a challenge for the whole world, one that will require holistic and global solutions.
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Why an Economy-wide Program is Needed
As world leaders seek a pathway forward to significant and sustainable carbon reductions, one priority must be the development of a comprehensive program engaging all sectors of the economy, from agriculture to utilities to households to transport.
Vehicle makers are an integral part of society, and as such, we have developed multiple solutions and innovative technologies that will help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions today and in the future. But there is no “silver bullet,” and technology alone will not meet our shared objectives. That’s why we advocate collaboration and partnerships in transportation matters.
The transportation sector must be firmly embedded in an economy-wide carbon-reduction framework, while also working to maximize CO2 reductions through an integrated approach linking technology, energy, government and consumers.
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A Comprehensive Program as the Foundational Policy
Technical, economic and policy approaches to climate change need to recognize that all CO2 molecules (or GHG equivalents) produced by human activity make the same contribution to the atmosphere’s concentration of GHGs. The cost of mitigating those emissions, however, varies significantly depending on their source, and economically efficient decisions about how to reduce emissions depend on transparent cost signals.
Given the high cost and ubiquitous nature of GHG emissions, policymakers should seek to implement programs that are most efficient and cost-effective. All sectors of the economy must share responsibility for reducing GHG emissions and should be linked into a single comprehensive program that allows businesses to trade off costs and benefits. Our environmental and economic objectives can best be accomplished through a foundational economy-wide market-driven approach, and we in the automotive industry are ready and willing to be part of this solution.
