On 7 March, François Bausch, Minister of Mobility and Public Works, participated as a panelist in a roundtable discussion on "The State of the Transport System" organised by Systems Change Lab and the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities.
Considering that transport accounts for 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is the second fastest growing source of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, measures are needed to transform the transport system.
The event allowed François Bausch to share the experiences of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. One of the main topics of the debate was the electrification of the transport sector, in particular for light road vehicles as well as for some heavy vehicles. In the aviation sector, the production of hydrogen and synthetic fuels will be an important factor, as there are currently no existing alternatives. The Minister stated that it will not be enough to replace thermal engines with electric ones to achieve decarbonisation, but that a fundamental change in the transport sector is essential. It is necessary to invest in infrastructure in a more efficient way in order to plan transport networks towards a qualitative multimodal approach.
François Bausch also suggested a reorganisation of the current road network to give more space to the concept of active mobility.
In conclusion, there are many opportunities to create a system in which each mode of transport has its place and is used in the most efficient way.
Press release by the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works