Human activity is making our planet warmer, and the transport sector is partly responsible. One reason is the low prices which social dumping and exploitation allow, creating excessive demand for cheap transport services. We call for urgent action to reduce the environmental impact of transport, coupled with a fair and just transition for affected workers.
Climate change is one of the four megatrends examined in our TRENDS research project. Human activity is making our planet warmer, and the transport sector is partly responsible. One reason is the low prices which social dumping and exploitation allow, creating excessive demand for cheap transport services. We call for urgent action to reduce the environmental impact of transport, coupled with a fair and just transition for affected workers.
The climate is changing due to human emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). Put very simply, CO2 affects our planet’s natural ability to regulate the radiant heat that arrives from space. That means it is becoming warmer and warmer here on Earth. Measurements of average global temperatures prove this trend, and the German weather service insists that these measurements are a reliable indicator for global warming.
At the start of 2016 we know that fifteen of the sixteen total warmest years since the beginning of systematic recording have taken place in the 21st century. To put it another way, there has only been one year since 2000 that didn’t set heat records.
The ETF developed already early a Trade union vision on sustainable transport with one key message that “ecological sustainability and social sustainability are two sides of the same coin.” The deregulated transport system with just-in-time production and zero-stock policies is possible only because transport is too cheap. To a large extent, transport is too cheap because of downward pressure on working conditions and pay caused by social dumping.
When it comes to policy and regulation at European level, there are many points where we can take action to implement the ETF strategy on sustainable transport. A key frames is the Commission’s 2011 Transport White Paper and DG Move’s regulatory activities to implement the White Paper for the different transport modes. We also try to influence the EU’ decarbonising mobility strategy, EU infrastructure policy through the TEN-T and CEF (connecting Europe facility), EU transport research programmes and the Energy Union.
Our “avoid – shift – improve” approach has many aspects. These include: