Road freight is projected to increase oil demand by 5 million barrels per day by 2050 if no action is taken, according to an International Energy Agency (IEA) report on Monday.
'This growth is expected to lead to a significant increase in carbon dioxide emissions of nearly 900 million tonnes through 2050,' according to the report entitled The Future of Trucks: Implications for Energy and the Environment.
The IEA stated that improving the efficiency of road-freight transport is important to reduce the growth in oil demand, carbon emissions and air pollution over the next decades.
Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA's executive director said that for far too long there has been a lack of policy focus on truck fuel efficiency.
'Given they are now the dominant driver of global oil demand, the issue can no longer be ignored if we are to meet our energy and environmental objectives. Our study highlights the gains that are possible from tighter truck fuel efficiency standards and sets out other cost-effective steps to modernize freight transport,' he added.
'Trucks are a major contributor to the growth in transport-fuel consumption and rising carbon dioxide and air pollutant emissions,' the report said and added that the sector gets far less attention and policy focus than passenger vehicles.
The report underlined that only four countries; Canada, China, Japan, and the United States have energy-efficiency standards for heavy trucks.
'Yet the growth in oil demand from trucks has outpaced all other sectors - including passenger cars, aviation, industry and petrochemicals since 2000,' the report read.
In addition trucks account for almost a fifth of global oil demand, or around 17 million barrels per day, equivalent to the combined oil production of the United States and Canada.
'It also accounts for about half of global diesel use, a third of all transport-related carbon emissions and a fifth of NOx emissions, a key air pollutant,' the report showed.
The current main drivers of oil demand from trucks are the United States, the European Union and China, while India is emerging as a growing contributor.
- Global Positioning System offers solution
The IEA highlights three major areas for improvement. First, the trucking sector can improve logistics and systems operations for efficiency by using a Global Positioning System to optimize truck routing, as well as real-time feedback devices that monitor the on-road fuel economy of trucks.
Increased cooperation, exchange of data, information and assets across the entire supply chain are required to improve the sector.
The second area is in new trucks which can use additional technologies to cut idling, the use of lightweight materials while taking advantage of improvements to truck engines, transmissions and drivetrains.
'Achieving stronger cuts in fuel use, carbon dioxide and pollutant emissions requires the use of hybrids and zero emission trucks,' the report said.
Finally, using alternative fuels such as natural gas, biofuels, electricity and hydrogen can diversify fuel supplies away from oil and also help reduce carbon emissions.
By Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr