UN-backed roadmap for halving auto emissions unveiled in Geneva

With the world's car fleet expected to triple by 2050, a road map to halve greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles by that date was laid out today at the Geneva Motor Show by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partner organizations.

The ‘50 by 50’ Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI) charts a strategy for the world to change to cleaner and more efficient cars, advocating that it be integrated into the financial support the auto industry receives during the financial crisis.

"Transport is a crucial sector in the transformation to a low-carbon, green economy,” said Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP, which launched the initiative with the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Transport Forum (ITF) and the FIA Foundation.

“We would urge the world's car and component makers to get on board to prove that they too are part of the solution,” he added.

The GFEI road map shows how the reductions can be achieved using existing cost-effective technologies, with intermediate goals in 2020 and 2030, in line with suggestions made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Objectives of the initiative for 2009 include regional assessments and launches in Europe, North America, Latin America, and in Asia, the start of four national pilot projects in different regions and the development of a fuel economy information-sharing campaign.