Transport carbon emissions could double by 2015, says a report from Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) report has declared.
"The transport sector relies overwhelmingly on oil," said the corporate social responsibility lobby's spokeswoman Angie Farrag-Thibault.
"Without action, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation will continue to rise. Fortunately, this report points to a large number of options for reducing emissions."
The report was published jointly by BSR and the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and Cambridge Judge Business School, with support from the European Climate Foundation.
It distils the key findings from the Intergovernmental Panel (IPCC) on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report for the transportation sector, covering road, rail, air and ocean freight shipping.
Impacts of climate change, including more intense droughts and floods, heat waves, thawing permafrost and rising sea levels could damage roads, railways, and ports, requiring extensive changes to route planning in regions.
"Cutting carbon emissions from transport is challenging given the continuing growth in demand and the slow turnover of stock and infrastructure as well as, for some modes, the suitability of alternative fuels with an equivalent energy intensity to fossil fuels," said the report.
"Despite a lack of progress to date, the transition required to dramatically reduce emissions could arise from new technologies, infrastructure and modal shifts, the implementation of stringent policies and behavioural change.
"Many energy-efficiency measures have a positive return on investment.
"Examples such as improving aerodynamics, cutting vehicle weight, and bringing engines up to leading-edge standards could cut energy consumption by 30 to 50 per cent by 2030. Some of these measures have a negative lifetime cost.
"Efficient, low-carbon transport systems have significant co-benefits, such as better access to mobility services for the poor, time-saving, energy security, and reduced urban pollution leading to better health," the statement said.
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