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Transport
Transport sector accounts for almost 30% of all energy consumption globally
Whether moving freight or passengers, transportation plays a major role in our society and economy. There are broadly four different modes of transport – air, road, rail and marine. Demand for transport has been rapidly increasing along with economic growth and is expected to continue to do so well into the future. Currently, the transport sector is one of the largest sources of both greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution because of its heavy reliance on energy-dense oil products, mainly petrol and diesel. Despite the strong pressures to move away from hydrocarbons due to the need to mitigate climate change and national plans to reduce reliance on fuel imports, there has so far been limited success in shifting towards a low carbon transport sector, especially in comparison to achievements in electricity. Shifting to lower carbon fuels in transport is a difficult task since neither batteries nor hydrogen can yet provide energy density levels high enough to substitute for oil products in some use cases. However, policy initiatives in the UK and worldwide are facilitating the shift to lower carbon means of transport, including financial incentives for buying low-emission cars, and various bans announced on future sales of petrol and diesel cars.
A transformation of the transport sector is underway, characterised mainly by three trends: electrification, shared mobility and automation. Widespread integration of electric vehicles to the energy system is expected to have significant systemic impacts, as it can allow the roll-out of smart charging at scale; this can provide additional flexibility for managing the electrical grid. Though this transformation is driven by technological developments and market forces, these changes present opportunities to achieve a more sustainable transportation sector. There is particular potential to reduce transport emissions through changes such as modal shift, behavioural change, vehicle efficiency improvements, the use of low carbon fuels, and new business models.
Learn more about transport by exploring our Energy Insights.
For the latest news and articles on the transport sector read New Energy World.
View our dedicated Collection on Road Fuels.
Around 0%
of new vehicles registrations in the UK are electric vehicles as of 2022 (SMMT)
0%
of global CO2 emissions come from transport and it has the highest reliance on fossil fuels of any sector (IEA)
0 billion
will be invested to support the development of charging infrastructure in the UK as part of the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy (Department for Transport)
0%
of UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 came from transport, making it the highest emitting sector (BEIS)
What's new?
Longship CCS enters operation as Norwegian government gives green light to expansion of Northern Lights’ carbon storage capacity
25/06/2025
Longship is described as Norway’s largest climate investment ever and also Europe’s first complete CCS value chain. The project includes the capture o...
Chinese carmakers drive global EV sales rise, say BNEF and ICCT
25/06/2025
BloombergNEF’s annual Electric Vehicle Outlook (EVO) expects sales of battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles to grow 25% this year ...
Voltage missteps triggered the Iberian power outage, says Spanish government – but little consensus exists on who is responsible
25/06/2025
Presenting the incident report to Spain’s Council of Ministers last week, Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge Sara Aagese...
UK government confirms £13.2bn Warm Homes Plan amid criticism of retrofit policy failures
18/06/2025
The £13.2bn of funding for the Warm Homes Plan was originally promised as part of the Labour government’s manifesto. Reeves confirmed the full funding...
Two more CCS projects win UK backing, while global investment soars and offshore innovation takes off
18/06/2025
UK government backs CCS with £9.4bn of new fundingThe UK government has reaffirmed its support for carbon capture and storage (CCS), alloc...
Events and training
Human Factors Foundation - October 2025
06/10/2025
This 5-day course delivers a comprehensive introduction into human factors for non-specialists. It provides a practical, engaging and interactive back...
Delivering Safety Culture Change using the Hearts and Minds Toolkit - October 2025
14/10/2025
This 3-day interactive classroom course with certificate, will teach delegates the fundamentals of improving safety culture using the award-winning He...
Reservoir Microbiology Forum (RMF)
19/11/2025
Abstract deadline extended - submit your entry by 18 July for the opportunity to present at this event.Submit entryThe RMF is an excellent multi-disci...
BESS Essentials - Health, Safety & Environment
This module explores the critical health, safety, and environmental (HSE) considerations involved in the deployment and operation of Battery Energy St...
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