Despite the commitments made at previous COP summits over the past 20 years to mitigate global warming, rising temperatures remain an ever-greater threat to our planet. Thermal power plants, heavy industry, agriculture, livestock farming and transport (public and freight) are all responsible for this rise in temperature.
Transport generates greenhouse gas emissions of the order of 7 billion tonnes. In Europe, the transport of goods and people is the second largest source of GHG emissions, accounting for 1/4 of all CO2 emissions. By 2050, traffic will have increased by 40%. Reducing Co2 emissions in this sector is therefore a major objective.
It's in Asia where temperatures have risen the most. In India, it regularly exceeds 47°C - whereas it usually peaks at around 40°C - causing severe drought.
More than 100 billion euros. That's how much global warming alone costs every year. It's a staggering sum, and one that should spur individuals and businesses alike to take spontaneous action to complement the efforts of governments.
Combating rising temperatures means limiting GHG emissions (greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2, 76% of emissions), methane (16%), nitrous oxide (6%) and fluorinated gases (2%).
A policy to decarbonize freight transport has been in place in France since 2012. For example, limiting the use of fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas and replacing them with renewable energies such as solar power.
France's Energy Transition Act, passed last year, further strengthens this focus, in particular by encouraging investors to make sustainable and responsible investments in companies making genuine efforts to reduce their CO2 emissions.
The global decarbonization rate reached 2.7% in 2014, almost half the average annual rate needed to limit global warming to 2°C. We must continue to strengthen and multiply our initiatives.
However, the fight against CO2 emissions must not conceal the vital need to reduce the overall cost of the negative externalities of transport: pollution, congestion, noise and accidents.
More than 700 billion euros are being spent this year in Europe, far more than the direct consequences of global warming for mankind. Although greenhouse gas emissions do not have a major impact on health, mankind depends on the planetary ecosystem, which has been severely disrupted by global warming, justifying this recognized priority.