Decarbonizing Freight Transport | Reuben Fisher | Keynote x ChangeNOW2024

Summary

Ruben Fischer, du projet SHIFT, présente les conclusions d'une étude sur le transport de fret en France. Il souligne la nécessité de réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et de préparer aux carburants fossiles plus rares. Les propositions incluent une meilleure planification, l'électrification, et la formation du secteur pour atteindre une réduction drastique des émissions d'ici 2050. Une mesure simple serait de réduire la vitesse des camions pour une efficacité énergétique accrue.

Takeaways

• 📚 Le script est une présentation sur les transports de fret en France, menée par Ruben Fischer, impliqué dans le projet SHIFT depuis 2020.
• 🌟 Ruben Fischer a été promu et n'est pas le chef du projet SHIFT, mais en charge de la gestion du projet fret, dirigé par Mat Oano et Jérôme Marov.
• 🏢 Fischer travaille également en tant que manager de durabilité dans une entreprise française et co-fondateur d'une coopérative de conseil, Novelera.
• 🇫🇷 Le projet SHIFT est une entité française à but non lucratif, axée sur la rigueur scientifique et visant à influencer les décisions liées à l'énergie et aux émissions de gaz à effet de serre.
• 🔄 Le projet a lancé un plan de transformation économique en mars 2020, visant à réduire les émissions et à préparer à une rareté future des combustibles fossiles.
• 📈 Les études montrent que les émissions liées au transport de fret n'ont pas diminué malgré les améliorations technologiques, nécessitant des mesures plus globales.
• 🚚 L'augmentation du coût de l'énergie est un défi majeur, comme en témoignent les refuges chauffés mis en place au Royaume-Uni pour aider les familles à se chauffer.
• 🛤️ Les transports de fret sont essentiels à l'économie physique, nécessitant une énergie, une infrastructure et une main-d'œuvre.
• 📉 Les émissions de gaz à effet de serre du secteur du fret sont encore plus élevées qu'en 1990, malgré une légère stagnation récente.
• 📋 Le rapport SHIFT propose 55 mesures pour réduire les émissions, incluant une meilleure planification, l'électrification, et la formation des acteurs du secteur.
• 🚛 Si toutes les propositions sont mises en œuvre, les émissions de fret en 2050 seraient 97% inférieures au scénario de continuité, avec l'électrification et la réduction de la demande comme principaux leviers.
• 🛣️ Une mesure simple et immédiate pour réduire les émissions serait de réduire la vitesse des camions, passant de 90 à 80 km/h, ce qui pourrait réduire les émissions de 2 à 3%.

Q & A

Quel est le nom du projet étudié par Ruben Fischer et pourquoi est-il important ?

Le nom du projet est le 'shift project'. Il est important car il s'agit d'une étude sur le transport de fret en France, visant à réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et à préparer l'avenir face à une rareté potentielle des combustibles fossiles.

Quelle est la double contrainte carbone mentionnée par Ruben Fischer et comment cela influence le projet ?

La double contrainte carbone se réfère à la nécessité de réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et de se préparer à une rareté future des combustibles fossiles. Cela influence le projet en orientant ses recherches et recommandations vers des solutions qui répondent à ces deux défis.

Quel est le but du plan de transformation de l'économie française (PTEF) ?

Le but du PTEF est d'identifier, par secteur, les moyens de réduire l'intensité carbone et d'améliorer la résilience du secteur tout en préservant l'emploi, tout en veillant à ne pas dépasser la capacité de production d'énergie totale.

Quels sont les résultats clés du rapport sur le secteur du fret publié en mars 2022 ?

Le rapport a montré que les émissions liées au transport de fret en France sont toujours plus élevées qu'en 1990, malgré certaines améliorations technologiques. Il a également souligné l'importance de la frugalité énergétique et a proposé 55 mesures pour réduire les émissions.

Quelle est la part des énergies fossiles liquides dans le transport de fret en France selon les données présentées ?

Selon les données, 90% du transport de fret en France dépend encore des énergies fossiles liquides.

Quels sont les six principaux leviers pour réduire les émissions du secteur du fret en France d'après le rapport ?

Les six principaux leviers sont la réduction de la demande, la planification et la gouvernance du secteur, l'électrification, le passage à d'autres modes de transport tels que le rail et la voie navigable intérieure, la réorganisation des zones urbaines et la formation, l'enseignement et la certification des acteurs du secteur.

Quel exemple de mesure législative est suggéré pour aider à la réduction des émissions du secteur du fret ?

L'exemple donné est la création d'une entité nationale chargée de réguler le secteur du fret et de mettre en œuvre un cheminement pour réduire les émissions, ainsi que la mise en place d'un certificat d'effort de décarboxylation qui récompense les entreprises selon leurs performances en matière de réduction d'émissions.

Quel impact les changements technologiques ont-ils eu sur les émissions de gaz à effet de serre dans le secteur du fret ?

Bien que des améliorations technologiques aient été réalisées en termes d'efficacité énergétique, elles n'ont pas été suffisantes pour réduire significativement les émissions de gaz à effet de serre, car l'augmentation du volume de fret transporté et le recours accru au transport routier ont compensé ces gains.

Quel est l'effet des émissions de gaz à effet de serre sur l'infrastructure routière et ferroviaire, comme illustré dans le script ?

Les émissions de gaz à effet de serre contribuent à l'augmentation des températures, ce qui peut causer des déformations des voies ferrées et des dégradations des routes, comme le montre l'exemple des rails déformés par une chaleur extrême.

Quel est le message clé que Ruben Fischer souhaite transmettre à l'audience sur l'urgence de l'action en matière de décarboxylation du secteur du fret ?

Le message clé est que l'action doit être prise rapidement, car le 'change now' est crucial. Il insiste sur la possibilité de réduire les émissions tout en améliorant la résilience et en créant des emplois, et souligne l'importance de la mise en œuvre de mesures concrètes, telles que la réduction de la vitesse des camions pour réduire les émissions.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Présentation du projet de transport de fret et du Shift Project

Ruben Fischer, chargé de projet au sein du Shift Project, introduit son étude sur le transport de fret en France. Il explique son rôle et souligne que le Shift Project, une association à but non lucratif, se concentre sur la rigueur scientifique pour influencer les décisions relatives aux énergies et aux émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Le projet de transformation de l'économie française (PTEF) a été lancé en mars 2020 pour aborder la double contrainte du carbone, c'est-à-dire la réduction des émissions et la préparation à une rareté des combustibles fossiles. L'étude a mené à des conclusions sur la frugalité énergétique et a été publiée en mars 2022, mettant en évidence l'importance de la question énergétique et des coûts pour les entreprises et la société.

05:01

🚚 Les défis du transport de fret et la nécessité de la décarbonation

Le texte aborde la persistance des émissions dans le secteur du transport, malgré les améliorations technologiques et l'efficacité énergétique. Il est souligné que 90% du transport en France dépend encore des combustibles fossiles liquides. L'augmentation du transport de marchandises et la montée en charge du transport routier sont identifiés comme des facteurs clés augmentant les émissions. L'auteur propose des mesures législatives pour structurer et orienter la réduction des émissions, incluant la création d'une entité gouvernementale pour superviser le secteur et la mise en place de cadres locaux pour organiser le fret physique.

10:01

🛠 Mesures pour une transition vers un transport de fret plus durable

Ce paragraphe présente une série de mesures pour promouvoir une transition vers un transport de fret plus durable. Il suggère de mettre en place un certificat d'effort de décarbonation, de mettre à jour les examens et capacités pour les conducteurs et titulaires de licences de transport, et d'élaborer un programme de formation sur les questions climatiques et énergétiques pour tous les acteurs du secteur. Les résultats d'une projection pour 2050 sont également présentés, montrant que l'implémentation de ces mesures pourrait réduire les émissions de 97% par rapport au scénario de poursuivre les mêmes pratiques.

15:02

⏰ Action immédiate et mesures à court terme pour la décarbonation

Le dernier paragraphe insiste sur l'urgence d'agir rapidement pour favoriser la décarbonation. Il propose une mesure immédiate telle que la réduction de la vitesse des camions pour réduire les émissions et souligne le coût-efficacité de cette solution. L'auteur appelle à une approche frugale, à l'adoption d'améliorations opérationnelles et à l'électrification du transport routier restant, pour contribuer à la réduction des émissions et à l'atteinte des objectifs de l'accord de Paris.

Keywords

💡Freight transport

Le 'freight transport' se réfère au transport de marchandises de grande taille et de poids, généralement entre les entreprises et les consommateurs. Dans le script, il est mentionné comme étant un élément clé de l'économie, reliant tous les secteurs tels que l'agriculture, le commerce et le secteur de la santé.

💡Décarbonation

La 'décarbonate' est le processus de réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre provenant de l'activité humaine. Le script insiste sur la nécessité de décarboner le transport de fret pour améliorer la résilience et créer des emplois tout en réduisant les émissions de carbone.

💡Double contrainte carbone

La 'double contrainte carbone' est une notion clé du script qui fait référence à la nécessité de réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et de se préparer à une rareté future des combustibles fossiles. Cette notion est utilisée pour conceptualiser les défis auxquels le secteur du transport de fret est confronté.

💡Plan de transformation de l'économie

Le 'Plan de transformation de l'économie' (PTEF) est un projet décrit dans le script qui a pour but de réduire l'impact environnemental de différents secteurs, y compris le transport de fret, tout en préservant l'emploi et en améliorant la résilience du secteur.

💡Frugalité

La 'frugalité' est un principe mis en avant dans le script pour décrire l'approche de réduction de la consommation d'énergie et des ressources dans le secteur du transport de fret. Elle est présentée comme un moyen de contribuer à la réduction des émissions et à l'adaptation aux contraintes énergétiques futures.

💡Modal shift

Le 'modal shift' est le changement de mode de transport des marchandises, par exemple du transport routier au transport ferroviaire ou fluvial, pour réduire l'impact environnemental. Dans le script, il est mentionné comme l'un des moyens de réduire les émissions de transport.

💡Électrification

L' 'électrification' fait référence au remplacement des sources d'énergie traditionnelles par des sources électriques, comme les véhicules électriques pour le transport de fret. Cette notion est un élément clé des propositions pour réduire les émissions de carbone.

💡Capacité de formation

La 'capacité de formation' est un concept qui souligne l'importance de la formation et de l'éducation dans le secteur du transport de fret pour comprendre et mettre en œuvre les solutions de décarbonation. Le script suggère que cette formation est essentielle pour chaque acteur du secteur.

💡Coopérative de conseil

La 'coopérative de conseil' est mentionnée dans le script comme un type d'organisation qui offre des services de conseil en durabilité, reflétant l'engagement de l'orateur en faveur de la durabilité et de l'économie circulaire.

💡Ralentissement

Le 'ralentissement' est une mesure suggérée dans le script pour réduire les émissions de transport en diminuant la vitesse des camions sur les autoroutes. Cette mesure simple est présentée comme un moyen efficace d'atteindre les objectifs de réduction d'émissions.

Highlights

Ruben Fischer, a sustainability manager and co-founder of Novelera, shares insights from the SHIFT project on freight transport in France.

The SHIFT project, a French non-profit, focuses on energy and carbon emissions in the context of the 'double carbon constraint'.

The project's aim is to make the freight sector more resilient while reducing carbon emissions and preparing for scarcer fossil fuels.

A comprehensive study on the French economy's transformation plan (PTEF) was initiated during the 2020 lockdown.

The report on the freight sector, published in March 2022, has sold over 100,000 copies, reflecting its impact and relevance.

Energy consumption and frugality in the freight sector have become more visible and pressing issues.

A 10% increase in electricity costs for households in France highlights the energy cost challenge.

Climate change impacts, such as extreme heat affecting railway tracks, underscore the urgency for action.

The future's challenges are already present but unevenly distributed, as suggested by William Gibson's quote on 'cyberspace'.

Timeframes for societal transformation range from 15 years for vehicle fleet renewal to 50 years for designing future-proof towns.

Freight remains the cornerstone of the economy, requiring energy, infrastructure, and labor for transportation.

Despite technological improvements, emissions from the transport sector have not decreased due to increased demand and road transport.

The Kaya identity analysis shows the scale of factors contributing to greenhouse emissions, highlighting the need for systemic change.

A unified national entity is proposed to govern the freight sector and implement a carbon reduction pathway.

Regional administrative management is suggested to organize the physical aspects of freight and promote pooling opportunities.

A specific framework for business creation in the freight sector, based on energy and climate knowledge, is recommended.

A decarbonization effort certificate is proposed to reward shippers and transporters based on emission reduction pathways.

Implementing the proposed measures could reduce freight emissions by 97% in 2050 compared to a business-as-usual scenario.

Electrification and reduced demand are the main levers for emission reduction, followed by modal shift and other factors.

The importance of not relying solely on technology but also on operational improvements and frugality is emphasized.

Slowing down truck speeds as an immediate action can significantly reduce emissions and is cost-efficient.

The six main levers for transforming the freight sector include reducing demand, planning, electrification, alternative transport modes, urban redesign, and training.

Transcripts

um good morning I'm honored and

delighted to be here to share with you a

few uh conclusions from the study that

we have done on freight transport in

France my name is Ruben Fischer and I've

worked on this subject for the shift

project since 2020 Harold gave me a

promotion I am definitely not the head

of the shift project I'm in charge of

freight project management but the head

of the shift project um is mat oano

who's here in the crowd and also je

marov I did this on a pro bono basis as

I have a daytime job as a sustainability

manager uh within a French company that

works in the transport and Logistics

sector and I'm now co-founder and

manager of a sustainability Cooperative

uh consulting firm called

novelera despite the English name the

shift project is actually a French

entity it's a nonprofit it's a not

for-profit Association Guided by

scientific rigor so basically when we

aim to discuss subjects we talk about

facts and figures and we don't base our

arguments on

ideologies we aim to contribute and to

aim to uh influence decisions on

subjects pertaining to two things energy

on one hand and carbon emissions or

greenhouse gas Emissions on the other

hand we've coined a term uh which we use

very frequently which is the double

carbon constraint constraint number one

we feel is that we have to reduce

greenhouse gas emissions but as if that

wasn't enough constraint number two is

that we feel that we need to prepare for

scarcer fossil fuels in the

future with this double carbon

constraint in mind in March 2020 during

lockdown we kicked off a project called

the transformation plan of the French

economy so the acronym is in French

ptef and the aim is to field by field

work out how we can do three things aim

for a low carbon functioning

a less carbon intensive Freight for

example in my case number two make the

sector more resilient all the while

while preserving employment and making

sure that um in our systemic

approach we focused on the amount of

energy that we needed in total for all

of the fields and we were careful to

check that it didn't exceed total energy

production capacity this led us to

certain conclusions about frugality more

of which a little bit later

a summary of the different findings of

the sectors on which we worked on are

compiled in a book which much to our

surprise has sold over 100,000 copies in

France so the report on the freight

sector was published in March 2022 and

in the work leading up to then when we

interviewed company representatives and

we asked questions about energy

consumption and

frugality quite often the action was it

wasn't really a subject so this isn't to

say that we told you so

but it is a gentle reminder um that the

subject of energy both in terms of costs

and in terms of supply has become much

more visible and acute as those examples

from here and in England go to

show last year in the

UK the cost of energy Rose so much that

we needed to implement what we call warm

shelters basically for families who

couldn't afford to heat their homes they

went to safe spaces to get relief from

the cold and without saying that it's

going to be in the same thing in France

I'd just like to point out that there's

been a 10% increase in the cost of

electri electricity I'm sorry for

households so that's the energy part uh

in terms of climate change but linking

back to green gas greenhouse gas

emissions this is an example of what can

happen uh to railway tracks in what we

used to call extreme

heat

roads don't fa that much better in what

are going to be unfortunately future

normal

temperatures this leads me to say to

think about a quote um from a science

fiction author called William Gibson who

wrote a novel called Neuromancer and who

coined the term cyberspace and his point

of view is to say that the future is

already here it's just not evenly

distributed but then again when we do

talk about the future the reaction is

well what's the rush it's the future

that we're talking

about well actually to fundamentally

change things to fundamentally transform

our

society these are the various time

frames that we're looking at so it takes

more or less 15 years to completely

renew a fleet of vehicles on the road so

moving for example from fossil fuels to

Electric we're talking about 20 years to

completely modify our Energy Mix so

moving from natural gas and coal to

Renewables for example 30 years to

redesign the whole industrial landscape

so bringing back into our respective

countries some of the things that we

exported to other countries in terms of

infrastructure and production

capacity and more or less 50 years to

design future prooof

towns so when you look at it like that

we are already late for the

future but let's drill down to

Freight because in this period of

virtual reality cloud storage metaverse

and digitalization we are still in the

same place we need to move stuff from

one site to another to process it to

refine it then move it somewhere else by

boat or Bike by truck or by train to

assemble or transform then move the

stuff again to another site to stock to

set up or to sell it's the way our

physical economy works it applies to

agriculture Commerce the health industry

it's been that way for ages and that's

why we refer to Freight as the Keystone

or the Cornerstone of the

economy for all this to happen we need

energy to fuel the transportation the

vehicles need infrastructure to move

along Rail Road or Inland Waterway and

labor because all of this is dependent

upon labor packing unloading shipping

Etc as an illustration we say that Paris

another major cities only have three

days of stock of food ahead of

them so in a way no Freight no French

cuisine so if we can't do without

Freight it looks like we're going to

have to decarb

it the data I'm displaying is from

Mainland France and on the graph on the

left basically what we see is that at

best emissions have flatlined and

actually even though emissions for

transport sector went down last year in

2023 they are still higher than they

were in the reference year

1990 moreover in terms of energy um

that's used to transport stuff 90% of

what's transported in France is still

dependent and still uses liquid fossil

fuels

so how come like people who work in the

transport sector we're all climate

baddies I think of course not we've made

fabulous technological improvements in

terms of Energy Efficiency in terms of

uh intensity of uh carbon carbon

intensity sorry in terms of energy we've

improved our operational processes to

increase vehicle fill rate but

unfortunately none of that is enough and

Emissions have not gone down the graph

shows that different factors in what we

we call the Kaya identity which

contribute to overall uh Greenhouse

emissions and the ones that you see

outlined within the red box are above

one and these are the factors which have

increased emissions and the ones which

are in the green circle are the ones of

brought emissions

down so we can see that we have some

factors that have brought down emissions

by 10% such as Energy Efficiency but

when we compare this to the factors that

have increased emissions which are two

basically increased transport and the

move to Road Transport sport we see that

the scale is completely different we've

got 10% on one hand and 200% or 340% on

the other

hand so in a nutshell when we say that

we're multiplying by three the amount of

things we transport and multiplying by

two the share of Road transportation we

can continue to make as many technical

or technological improvements or

Innovations but the differences in scale

between marginal gains on one hand and

the fabulous increase in Emissions on

the other hand is not just um it means

that we just can't rely on Innovation or

technology to help solve the

problem so maybe we need a helping

hand and when I'm talking about a

helping hand I'm going to talk about law

uh so bear with me for a moment our

report contains 55 measures so obviously

I'm not going to go through all of them

I'm going to try to highlight three

quite quickly the first one is that in

France Freight depends on two sets of

law one of them is town planning and the

other one is transport but at the

national level there's no

consolidation so we feel that there

should be a form of ministry or another

such entity which should be in charge of

governing both the sector and

implementing uh a pathway and making

sure that entities respect that pathway

of

reductions at a second level at the

regional level we suggest that in terms

of administrative management any given

region uh has the capacity to organize

the physical aspects of freight making

sure that it's pulling the actors

together of the ecosystem to ensure

opportunities for pooling for

example we need to reinforce uh the

framework for towns to actually organize

regulate and subcontract for example

Urban Logistics enabling them to deploy

cycle cycle Logistics and pooling of

goods and actually the existing legal

framework between what transport

authorities can actually do now and the

what we suggest they should do in the

future the current remit isn't that far

off and when we asked private companies

what they felt about this surprisingly

enough the answer was overall quite

positive basically they said that as

long as the rules are the same for all

so a Level Playing Field with a mid to

Long plan plan to give companies

sufficient view of what's coming up on

the horizon then it was actually fine

for

everybody a second suggestion which we

think would be useful to see on the

horizon is a specific framework for

business creation and running based on a

solid foundation of knowledge of energy

and climate issues linked to the freight

sector this means that for example for

existing examinations and

capacities they need to be amended and

updated so both for drivers and

transport license holders but also for

company owners we recommend a kind of

climate capacity without which the

company owner cannot open or run a

business in the transport sector or the

freight sector sorry more generally we

believe that the substantial training

program

on the subject of climate and energy

issues should be implemented for all

players in the sector to bolster general

knowledge but also to make sure that we

increase understanding of both the

subject in general and the answers uh to

the crisis in

question the second point in this is

what we call a decarbonization effort

certificate basically this effort would

reward both shippers Freight forwarders

and Transporters on the basis of for

example average IM iions per 10

kilometer with an enforced reduction P

pathway so this year these are your

emissions next year you're allowed to

limit a little bit

less the second thing would be based on

average energy consumption per 10

kilometer also with a reduction pathway

this we would obviously help to

encourage shippers Freight forwarders as

well as the whole sector to implement

the various changes which enable a less

carbon intensive

transportation

I've shown I've shown the spotlight on a

couple of measures um but I have to

stress that taken in isolation maybe

they don't seem as logical as they

should be because the 55 measures are

all part of one

bundle I'd like us to just have a quick

look at the results that we get in our

projection of Freight in France in

2050 if we do Implement all of the

measures and the proposals that we put

forward in our report in 2050 Freight

emissions are 97% lower than the

business as usual scenario which takes

to en account which takes into account

sorry population growth the main levers

of the decrease in emissions in order of

importance are

electrification which makes up for

almost 50% of the reductions but only

when we have reduced demand so only when

we transport less and this reduction is

something around

30% then we have what I may say the more

usual factors such as the modal shift to

rail and Waterway transport making up

for about 20% and then four levers with

a similar level of impact which are EC

driving massification pooling and cych

Logistics sometimes we get the question

why bother doing all that anyway can't

we just like Implement technology and

can't we get the same results doing it

that way so if we go back to the energy

constraints which I mentioned at the

beginning of the slides um if we do bet

on Unlimited Supply of cheap and uh car

less carbon intensive energy we don't

think it's a good idea but we did the

calculations anyway so what the graph

shows is that basically four different

options the first three are we change as

little as possible in terms of

operational process there's no work done

on any frugality and we just change the

energy

Vector first graph is biofuels biodiesel

second graph is hydrogen the third bar

um is all electrification and the fourth

which is the option that we promote is a

mix of all of that but having first

implemented all of the necessary

frugality so as you can see B basically

there's a scale of one to three between

the amount of energies that's needed if

we do Implement frugality and different

changes to reduce the amount of

Transport that we do and if we just um

bear with

technology in the business as usual

scenario just changing the vector that

we

use to summarize what I'd love you to

remember after this talk first and

formost that it can be done we can

reduce emissions we can do this um

whilst improving resilience and creating

jobs within the sector this I feel is

excellent news news which I would like

to highlight and the six main levers to

make this happen are number one I think

I've said it a couple of times reduce

demand number two plan and govern the

sector number three Electrify everything

we can number four move to Alternative

modes of Transport so Rail and Inland

Waterway number five redesign urban area

urban areas in general but also to

include psycle Logistics and number six

train teach SE certify and qualify to

make sure that all of the actors in The

sector understand what is being done

what the risks are what's at stake and

why we are proposing a certain amount of

uh answers and

solutions I'm going to add a post

scriptum

um the event that we are attending is

called change now and it's not called

change later so I was thinking about

this and well what can we do at a very

short-term basis we've seen the actions

that we need to get results in the next

20 years um and I think many companies

and many organizations have plans for

2030 2040 2050 there's one simple and

immediate action which I feel that we

all can do then that's to slow down when

I say this I mean for example slow down

the trucks that are on the motorways

that currently drive at 90 km/ hour in

France Italy in Spain and bring them

down to 80 km per hour like it is the

case in Germany according to our

calculations this would enable us to

reduce emissions in France by 2 to 3% of

the transport sector therefore just one

measure which would enable us to hit our

yearly Target in terms of cost

efficiency we also think that this is

one of the cheapest ways if not also a

way of saving money when you bring that

to what does it cost on one side and how

much carbon am I economizing on the

other

side so in a nutshell let's slow down

Let's Be Frugal let's implement the

various operational improvements which

will be disc discussed in the following

sessions and Electrify all the remaining

Road

transportation