2030 - Climate targets for mobility in the Netherlands require a cap for the use of fossil fuels

Netherlands Platform Sustainable Biofuels

The Netherlands Platform Sustainable Biofuels argues for a decreasing cap on the use of fossil fuels in the Netherland mobility sector.

Starting from today’s level of 494 PJ total energy use in transport (of which 463 PJ is fossil), the use of fossil fuels should be not more than 300-330 PJ in 2030, with a further reduction of the use to maximum of 150 PJ fossil in 2040 and reaching zero in 2050. This is necessary to quickly reduce the climate impact of the transport sector and to make the transition to climate-neutral production and solutions.

Clear reduction path for fossil with lower and lower caps in 2030, 2040 and 2050

Limiting the use of fossil makes it possible to keep CO2 emissions in the transport sector below 25Mt of CO2 by 2030. A fossil limit also contributes to achieving climate neutrality for the transport sector around 2050, or possibly earlier. The market will focus on alternative options for fossil and provide the necessary investments in alternative energy sources. Figure 2 illustrates the actual CO2-emissions in transport from 1990 to 2018 and a possible trajectory towards 2050.

To combat climate change effectively the source for CO2-emissions needs to be tackled. The continuous addition of CO2 by burning fossil resources causes an increase in CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere and acidification of the oceans. This increase in fossil-based CO2 causes climate change. That is why the use of fossil sources worldwide will have to be phased out quickly in order to limit the rise in global temperature to max 2C, as agreed in the Paris Agreement. According to various Energy Outlooks global energy demand will probably continue to rise. Non-fossil energy sources are required to cover this rising energy demand. The transport sector, worldwide and also in the Netherlands, still depends for more than 95% of its energy demand on fossil sources. The sector will have to prepare itself for solutions without deployment of fossil feedstocks to meet that energy demand.

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