Green transport is the foundation for green economic development.

This information was confirmed by Director of the Institute of Strategy and Development (Ministry of Transport) Khuat Viet Hung at the Forum "Developing green urban areas towards sustainability" held in Hanoi today (December 12).

18% of greenhouse gas emissions

At the Forum: "Developing green cities towards sustainability" held in Hanoi, Mr. Khuat Viet Hung - Director of the Institute of Strategy and Development (Ministry of Transport) said that currently, energy demand depends mainly on fossil fuels, accounting for over 95% of demand. In which, the transport sector ranks second, accounting for 16.5% of energy consumption sectors, only after industry (54.1%).

Mr. Khuat Viet Hung spoke at the Forum on sustainable green urban development.

In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the transport sector accounts for about 18% of the total energy sector and continues to grow at an average rate of 5.77% from 2014 to 2021.

According to statistics, in 2023 there will be about 247,000*km million passengers, 489,700 million tons*km. Of which, roads play a leading role in passenger and cargo transport with more than 85% and continue to grow at an average of 9.6% in the period 2014 - 2023.

Notably, Mr. Khuat Viet Hung, in the road sector, the trend of owning personal motor vehicles will continue to increase. Currently, our country has about 6.3 million cars (increasing 10.01%/year), 74.3 million motorbikes (increasing 4.76%/year). Meanwhile, there are only about 2 million electric motorbikes.

The railway sector currently has 426 locomotives and 6,244 carriages. The aviation sector has about 250 - 300 passenger aircraft and 44 specialized aircraft.

How to get to net zero emissions by 2050?

The Cat Linh - Ha Dong urban railway serves the travel needs of passengers. Illustrative photo.

To achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050, Mr. Khuat Viet Hung said that it is necessary to simultaneously apply many groups of synchronous solutions. In which, developing a green transport system and sustainable transport is an essential foundation.

Technology application and development is one of the most important groups of solutions towards building a green transport network. In particular, it is necessary to perfect the policy mechanism to promote green transformation; effectively attract investment resources and investment incentives; strengthen management, monitoring, analysis, forecasting and warning of emission risks and inventory of greenhouse gases.

At the same time, there needs to be national technical standards and regulations on electric vehicles and alternative energy. The national railway network needs to convert and replace locomotives, upgrade existing lines. At the same time, build a high-speed railway project: Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh and standard railway lines: Hai Phong - Hanoi - Lao Cai; Hanoi - Lang Son; Ho Chi Minh - Can Tho ... and an urban railway network in two major cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

"Railways will be the driving force for green transformation of transport, thereby reducing the dependence of transport from roads to lower emission modes such as rail and waterways.

"Optimizing the efficiency of transportation and logistics operations aims to reduce emissions through efficient use of energy. At the same time, limiting energy consumption for motorbikes and cars, increasing the load factor," Mr. Khuat Viet Hung emphasized and said that authorities need to pay attention to infrastructure solutions and policies for non-motorized transport, and at the same time establish low-emission areas and zones.

The process of converting private vehicles to public ones and converting energy to biofuels, electricity and potential alternative fuels need to be implemented simultaneously to maximize efficiency.

In the long term, according to the Institute of Strategy and Development, biofuels are an effective solution for green transformation. Meanwhile, roads are still the basic means of transportation in our country. Therefore, in the coming time, it is necessary to study and propose policies to support the conversion to electric cars, thereby having a plan to convert national electric vehicles.

In order to encourage people to switch to green vehicles, it is necessary to supplement regulations on the number of locations for installing electric charging stations and infrastructure in rest stops. At the same time, preferential policies on taxes, fees, investment in production, and development of electric charging stations should be introduced to promote the conversion to electric vehicles.

Currently, in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, there is support of 50% of the annual interest rate for loans to invest in buses using electricity/green energy and charging station infrastructure.

In the long term, according to Mr. Hung, our country needs to plan for transport development on a national scale. At the same time, it is necessary to study the application of big data technology and digital technology in the transport sector to create a foundation and driving force to promote the capacity to monitor, analyze, forecast, warn and inventory greenhouse gases. Continue to study and evaluate investment models for green transport development.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Ha Minh Hai - Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee expressed that green development and green urban development have become an inevitable trend. Green urban areas not only ensure a clean living environment, improve people's quality of life but also promote the balance and harmony between economic development, environmental protection and preservation and promotion of cultural and historical values, improving the quality of life.

This is the foundation for building prosperous and sustainable communities, where growth no longer depends on the exploitation of natural resources but mainly on science, technology and innovation, effective government management and solidarity of the whole society, which determine success.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/giao-thong-xanh-la-nen-tang-phat-trien-kinh-te-xanh-192241212164941248.htm