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 School of Geography and the Environment

University of Oxford

 The Transport Studies Unit

Outreach

Part of the School of Geography and the Environment

Events

The Future of Transport and Energy Use

25th June 2010, A J Herbertson Room
School of Geography and Environment, Oxford

Places are limited so please contact Lara Scott to confirm your attendance
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This one-day Transport Studies Unit (TSU) / James Martin Institute of Carbon & Energy Reduction in Transport (JM-ICERT) workshop aims to (a) assess trends of freight transport carbon footprints, policies and measures and (b) to examine energy efficiency pathways of passenger cars. This workshop is split into two sessions: one on low carbon freight transport (EU and North America regions) and a second one on fuel use of passenger transport. In the context of the failure at Copenhagen to reach a global agreement on greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation for transport it is essential to devise the institutional mechanism for global fuel economy targets for freight and for passenger transport modes.

Download Flyer [PDF: 66KB]

Agenda

09:45 - 10:15Arrival and coffee
10:15 - 10:30Welcome and aims of the day
Dr David Bonilla (TSU, Logman, and JM-ICERT)
10:30 -11:30'Freight is Greight:' CO2 emissions from freight in an international perspective.
Dr Lee Schipper (University of California, Global Metropolitan Studies, Berkeley, and Precourt Energy Efficiency Centre, Stanford)

This session will review trends in freight by mode, with CO2 emissions from a number of IEA countries. This will include recent updates to the paper of Kamakate and Schipper published in Energy Policy (October 2009). Several methodology issues will be raised but not solved, for example, separate of rail and air energy use into freight and travel components, lack of important data on tonne-km from natural gas pipelines. We also quantify the fuel and CO2 emissions associated with moving fossil fuels in the US.

11:30 - 12:15Economic growth, logistics and sustainability.
Dr David Bonilla (TSU and St Anne's College)and Nihan Akyelken (TSU)

The seminar reviews (1) policies and trends, of EU member states, shaping the future of freight to 2050 (based on results of two projects: FreightVision and LogMan) (2) and action plans to achieve the 2050 vision. The seminar will explore transport policy recommendations for sustainable economic growth.

12:15 - 1:30Lunch
1:30 - 1:45JM-ICERT: Objectives and overview.
Prof. David Banister (TSU and JM-ICERT)
1:45 - 2:45Fuel economy or fools economy: Lessons and lemons in the race to decarb
Dr Lee Schipper (University of California, Global Metropolitan Studies, Berkeley, and Precourt Energy Efficiency Centre, Stanford)

This session will discuss trends in car use and on road fuel economy as well as trends in new-vehicle fuel economy. Some attention will be given to the role of diesel cars in Europe, and the role of special incentives (like the US "Cash for Clunkers") in affecting fuel economy. We pay particular attention to the recent plateau in per capita travel, car use, and fuel consumption seen across a wide range of IEA countries.

2:45 - 3:15Exploring the dynamics of electric vehicle technology diffusion
Martino Tran (TSU and JM-ICERT)

We discuss the potential and challenges of electric vehicle technologies as a climate mitigation pathway. We present a modeling approach that focuses on the dynamics between consumer behaviour and technological change for the adoption of advanced vehicle technologies.

3:15 - 3:45Fuels for the future of transport
Dr Justin Bishop (JM- ICERT)
3:45 - 4:00Tea
4:00 - 4:30Scenario analysis, backcasting and participation: moving towards sustainable transport?
Dr Robin Hickman (TSU)

Swindon and develops a modified scenario and backcasting approach to assist in the formulation of carbon efficient transport strategies. It suggests that scenarios and images need to be better 'owned' by stakeholders and the public if they are ever likely to be implemented. A participatory model is therefore developed to help discuss potential policy and decision-making pathways.

4:30 - 5:00The environmental implications of airlines' choice of aircraft size.
Dr Moshe Givoni (TSU)

While we are waiting for a technological fix and the zero emission aircraft, operational practices can make some difference. This short talk will describe using the example of airlines trade-off between aircraft size (capacity) and service frequency; and how airlines' competitive strategy affect their environmental performance and how this, in turn, affects the aircraft that are manufactured for them, which in turn limits their operational flexibility with respect to environmental performance.

5:00 - 5:30A café for new cars in Mexico?
Dr David Bonilla (TSU)

This session discusses the significance of introducing fuel economy standards in Mexico and seeks to answer, "the why", the "how" and the "for whom" in the implementation of a fuel economy standard for Mexico. It suggests that adopting a fuel economy standard is not enough to save imported gasoline.

5:30 - 6:00Wrap up, open questions, and discussion.
Prof. David Banister and Dr David Bonilla (TSU)

Readings

 

Dr Lee Schipper
Dr Lee Schipper

Dr Lee Schipper is Project Scientist with Global Metropolitan Studies at UC Berkeley and an affiliate of the Energy and Resources Group at UC. He is also Senior Research Engineer at the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center at Stanford University. As a two-time member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change, he is a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr Schipper has authored over 100 technical papers and a number of books on energy economics, environment, and transportation around the world. He takes part in numerous prestigious international panels and studies on energy and transportation, and is on the editorial boards of five major journals in the fields. Dr Schipper was a member of the Swedish Board for Transportation and Communications Research for four years, and is currently a member of the US Transportation Research Board's Committees on Sustainable Transport, on Energy, and on Developing Countries.

Dr Schipper earned his Ph.D. at Berkeley in astrophysics, but has devoted his career to earthly problems of transport, energy and environment. Previously he had been Director of Research for EMBARQ, the World Resources Institute (WRI) Center for Sustainable Transport, which he helped founded in 2002. Dr Schipper came to EMBARQ from the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris, where he had been visiting Scientist from 1995 to 2001. Previous to that he was Staff Senior Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for two decades. He worked in Group Planning at Shell International Petroleum Company in the 1980s and again in 2001, where he worked on two sets of Shell Scenarios. He has been a guest researcher at the World Bank, VVS Tekniska Foerening (Stockholm), the OECD Development Center, and the Stockholm Environment Institute.

As a consultant, Dr Schipper works with Global Business Network / Monitor and has rejoined Cambridge Energy Research Associates as a Senior Associate. He also served as a consultant to the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other international groups. He also lectures widely around the world. Lee received a share of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on two Intergovernmental Panels on Climate Change (IPCC).

Dr Schipper brings a unique twist to the transport and energy worlds, having obtained his BA in Music from Berkeley in 1968 (with course work at UCLA). One a member of the UCLA jazz quintet, he still leads a jazz quintet from time to time, and recorded The Phunky Physicist, with Janne Schaffer, in Sweden in 1973. He appeared in Copenhagen at pre-events for COP 15.

Hosted by the Transport Studies Unit (School of Geography and the Environment) and James Martin Institute of Carbon & Energy Reduction in Transport (JM-ICERT), at the University of Oxford. Sponsored by JM-ICERT and Logistics and Manufacturing CO2 Footprint (LOGMAN). For more information please contact Dr David Bonilla (Transport Studies Unit, University of Oxford).