IAHL Corporation (IAHL)

[energybuyer]

Freight movement is an important enabler of economic activity. We saw substantial growth in freight movement in the industrialized countries over the last three decades, and growth is accelerating in emerging markets with the rise in demand for consumer and industrial goods. Global road transportation of freight is also a large consumer of energy as well as an emitter of air pollutants and greenhouse gases.

Trucks accounted for about 16 million barrels per day, or 17 percent of global oil demand in 2017, and are projected to be responsible for nearly one-third of global oil demand growth by 2040. Diesel fuel consumption in road transport has grown a staggering eightfold since 1970.

Road freight vehicle greenhouse gas emissions are currently three gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent and are projected to more than double by 2050. The bulk of greenhouse gas emissions and growth are for heavy-duty vehicles, which travel substantially more miles than smaller trucks and use more fuel per mile. Road freight vehicles are also important contributors to NOx, fine particulates, and SO2 emissions. Air pollution is the single greatest environmental health risk, accounting for one in eight deaths globally.