بيانات صحفية

5 تموز/يوليو 2011

Beirut

ESCWA Promotes Transport Emission Reductions

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ESCWA today opened a meeting of regional and international experts to discuss the main aspects of the transport sector, its emissions and their impact on climate change. Entitled “Promoting Emissions Reductions in the Transport Sector,” the 5-6 July meeting is held at the UN House in Beirut in cooperation with the Gas Center of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Opening statements were delivered by Director of the UNECE Gas Center Valerie Ducrot, General Secretary of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) Abbas Ali Naqi, and ESCWA Deputy Executive Secretary Anhar Hegazi. “Demand for gas grows more than 50 percent by 2035, providing over than 25 percent of world energy,” said Ducrot. Figures are positive today for natural gas, she added. Global gas consumption has increased by 7.4 percent in 2010, driven by economic recovery. The UNECE official said this meeting is a good example of public and private partnership, where experts have the chance to explore the significant opportunities in the transportation sector for further carbon emission reductions. For his part, Naqi said it is estimated that the global transport sector represents 60 percent of the daily oil use. The Arab region has witnessed a 4-percent increase in the number of vehicles per year between 1997 and 2008, a figure that exceeds yearly growth averages of 2.8 percent in developing countries, he added. Many Arab countries, especially oil producing ones, have plans for effective transport networks and increases in the share of the public transport sector and decreases in the number of personal vehicles. This should curb transport-related emissions, the OAPEC chief said. Naqi pointed out the effective contribution of OAPEC member countries to discussions of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Hegazi, in ESCWA’s statement, pointed out the importance of the transport sector that contributes three to five percent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But the sector affects, and is affected by, various environmental issues, particularly climate change. “This sector is responsible for 23 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions,” she added. Hegazi said ESCWA issued in this context some studies on this sector and its development, including the use of cleaner fuels, namely natural gas resources that are available in the region. She said the Commission is currently preparing a study on “Policies and Measures to Promote Sustainable Use of Energy in the Transport Sector in the ESCWA Region." The two-day meeting was to highlight the main regional and global success stories in emission reduction and mitigation efforts, in particular European experiences and lessons learned in this field.
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