Mike Walsh of ICCT
Phillippe Crist of ITF
The Conference of the Parties (COP 14) is one of the most significant gatherings of those with an interest in global climate issues. It is taking place this year in Poznan, Poland. FIA Foundation, together with our partner organizations ITFD, IEA and UNEP were therefore delighted to take part in a COP 14 pre-event on December 12th at which we were able to showcase our plans for a Global Fuel Economy Initiative – 50by50 – ahead of its formal launch in Geneva early next year.
The objective of the campaign is to improve the understanding of the fuel economy potential – and cost – of cars built and sold around the world, and to provide guidance and support on the development of policies to promote fuel efficient vehicles. Ultimately, the evidence suggests that the average fuel economy of new cars in OECD countries could be improved 30% by 2020, and 50% by 2030 at low or negative cost taking into account fuel savings. Equivalent efficiency improvements outside of the OECD – where fleets are growing fastest – would also be possible, potentially leading to at least a 50% improvement in the average fuel economy of all cars on the road worldwide by 2050.
What is more, these levels of improvement are achievable using existing, cost-effective incremental fuel economy technologies.
It was particularly exciting therefore, that two of the key experts in the field, Mike Walsh of the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), and David Greene of University of California Davis and Oakridge National Laboratory, were not only able to take part in the seminar, but were also positive about the need for and potential of, such an initiative in addressing the environmental impact of a rapidly growing global fleet.
Sheila Watson, Director of Environment at FIA Foundation said: ‘The issue of improved fuel economy is rising steadily up the agenda, and must be a key element of any global strategy to address climate change. We are hopeful that by drawing together partners from many different sectors, by developing regional networks and working with them to frame better global fuel economy policies, the 50by50 initiative will make a positive contribution in the near future.
Click here to download the 50by50 Global Fuel Economy Initiative leaflet (510kKB / .pdf) >
Click here to download the 50BY50 Introduction presentation (603KB / .pdf) >
Click here to download the Policy Issues for a Global Fuel Economy Initiative presentation by Dr. David L Greene (1.5MB / .pdf) >
Click here to download the Background for Establishing a Fuel Economy Initiative presentation by Lew Fulton (193KB / .pdf) >
Click here to download the Issues in Global Fuel Economy Standards presentation by Michael P. Walsh (832KB / .PDF) >