Transport is widely regarded as one of the industries responsible for pollution and the resultant impact on climate change.

If Europe, and the world, is to achieve the goals set by the Paris Agreement and the milestones proposed by the Commission for 2030 and 2050 for mobility and transport, it must get ahead of the game rather than trying to react and catch up. 

The transition of transport, in its widest sense possible, to green technologies is daunting. The mix of technologies is available. To understand better the optimal mix, we must be receptive to change. Connecting climate change, environment, sustainability, enterprise, to transport makes us all realise that we are in the same boat together. Only together we can travel to a transport industry that, in 15 to 20 years’ time, will be very different from how we know it today. 

“The car of the future will be without feet, hands and eventually eyes. They will be electric, autonomous and connected”

Predictive research throughout the world has described the future of transport as an industry which, by 2050, will have zero emissions and be composed of mainly unmanned, connected cars. Social status and private mobility will be decoupled and on-demand car-sharing and carpooling will dominate private urban commuting. 

Individuals will be able to quickly order vehicles fitted to their planned journeys, resulting in limited need for urban parking spaces and blurring the distinction between public and private transport. So the car of the future will be without feet, hands and eventually eyes. They will be electric, autonomous and connected. Long-haul carriers of goods across countries will be powered by green hydrogen as industry forecasts are illustrating commercial viability as soon as 2030.

Solar-powered and electric fast trains and bio-powered airships will reduce connection time-periods across cities, and international water freight will be dominated by high-speed ships powered through in-seas energy storage stations utilising wave and solar energy. Many challenges lie ahead from a technological, industrial and legislative perspective but the transition is well under way and the prediction is that it will accelerate in the coming years.

Many of us who travel abroad for either work or leisure have already started to experience such innovations. Obviously, two questions always come to mind are: What would we like it to be like here in Malta and Gozo? And what would it take to be there?

To mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, the world is bursting with ideas from self-driving to the use of drones for last-mile deliveries or less accessible locations. Energy hubs are budding to promote energy efficiency and resiliency. Innovation hubs are being generated to enhance adoption of green technologies for green growth, while social hubs are sprouting to enhance the quality of life and attractiveness to talent. Access to mobility is access to opportunity and, therefore, a robust network of technologies is the rule of the game. 

The Foundation for Transport has already launched the first of a series of pilot projects whereby the industry is tangibly measuring the impact of electrification on the day-to-day operations, logistics, costs and benefits and, most importantly, the transition to new skills and competences. In the webinar Is Malta fit for 55?, held on October 27, we added another important piece to the puzzle by presenting a mix of green choices and solutions that may lead to green growth and contribute to the decarbonisation of Malta and Gozo. This will also give the industry the possibility to start adhering to national policies. The speakers lined for the webinar blended the entrepreneurial expertise in green technology in Europe and its application to transport too. The Mediterranean experiences in green and blue solutions for post-COVID recovery were also debated. The mix of solutions does not present a one-size-fits-all. So, embracing different green technologies can be key in attracting new niches and develop new jobs. All this can happen within the context of various aspects of national policymaking and the Commission proposals in the Fit-for-55 package. We feel that this is a great opportunity to promote new ideas, attract talent and share best practices.

The Foundation for Transport can be followed on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn and website www.fft.mt. Together, we can work for a sustainable future in transport. Indeed, adapting to innovation in transport can be a game changer.

Jeanette Axisa is director general, Foundation for Transport.

 

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