Metals for Fuels? The Raw Material Shift by Energy-Efficient Transport Systems in Europe
The long-term transition towards a low-carbon transport sector is a key strategy in Europe. This includes the replacement of fossil fuels, modal shifts towards public transport as well as higher energy efficiency in the transport sector overall. While these energy savings are likely to reduce the di...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2018-08-01
|
| Series: | Resources |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/7/3/49 |
| _version_ | 1811184778985078784 |
|---|---|
| author | Jens Teubler Sebastian Kiefer Christa Liedtke |
| author_facet | Jens Teubler Sebastian Kiefer Christa Liedtke |
| author_sort | Jens Teubler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The long-term transition towards a low-carbon transport sector is a key strategy in Europe. This includes the replacement of fossil fuels, modal shifts towards public transport as well as higher energy efficiency in the transport sector overall. While these energy savings are likely to reduce the direct greenhouse gas emissions of transport, they also require the production of new and different vehicles. This study analyses in detail whether final energy savings in the transport sector also induce savings for material resources from nature if the production of future vehicles is considered. The results for 28 member states in 2030 indicate that energy efficiency in the transport sector leads to lower carbon emissions as well as resource use savings. However, energy-efficient transport sectors can have a significant impact on the demand for metals in Europe. An additional annual demand for 28.4 Mt of metal ores was calculated from the personal transport sector in 2030 alone. The additional metal ores from semiprecious metals (e.g., copper) amount to 12.0 Mt, from precious metals (e.g., gold) to 9.1 Mt and from other metals (e.g., lithium) to 11.7 Mt, with small savings for ferrous metal ores (−4.6 Mt). |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:19:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-88b4d4bcbf1f4a1fa7f5d4a8e0d81a88 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-9276 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:19:20Z |
| publishDate | 2018-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Resources |
| spelling | doaj.art-88b4d4bcbf1f4a1fa7f5d4a8e0d81a882022-12-22T04:22:18ZengMDPI AGResources2079-92762018-08-01734910.3390/resources7030049resources7030049Metals for Fuels? The Raw Material Shift by Energy-Efficient Transport Systems in EuropeJens Teubler0Sebastian Kiefer1Christa Liedtke2Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH, Döppersberg 19, 42103 Wuppertal, GermanyWuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH, Döppersberg 19, 42103 Wuppertal, GermanyWuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH, Döppersberg 19, 42103 Wuppertal, GermanyThe long-term transition towards a low-carbon transport sector is a key strategy in Europe. This includes the replacement of fossil fuels, modal shifts towards public transport as well as higher energy efficiency in the transport sector overall. While these energy savings are likely to reduce the direct greenhouse gas emissions of transport, they also require the production of new and different vehicles. This study analyses in detail whether final energy savings in the transport sector also induce savings for material resources from nature if the production of future vehicles is considered. The results for 28 member states in 2030 indicate that energy efficiency in the transport sector leads to lower carbon emissions as well as resource use savings. However, energy-efficient transport sectors can have a significant impact on the demand for metals in Europe. An additional annual demand for 28.4 Mt of metal ores was calculated from the personal transport sector in 2030 alone. The additional metal ores from semiprecious metals (e.g., copper) amount to 12.0 Mt, from precious metals (e.g., gold) to 9.1 Mt and from other metals (e.g., lithium) to 11.7 Mt, with small savings for ferrous metal ores (−4.6 Mt).http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/7/3/49energy-efficient transportgreenhouse gas (GHG) emissionsmaterial resources |
| spellingShingle | Jens Teubler Sebastian Kiefer Christa Liedtke Metals for Fuels? The Raw Material Shift by Energy-Efficient Transport Systems in Europe Resources energy-efficient transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions material resources |
| title | Metals for Fuels? The Raw Material Shift by Energy-Efficient Transport Systems in Europe |
| title_full | Metals for Fuels? The Raw Material Shift by Energy-Efficient Transport Systems in Europe |
| title_fullStr | Metals for Fuels? The Raw Material Shift by Energy-Efficient Transport Systems in Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Metals for Fuels? The Raw Material Shift by Energy-Efficient Transport Systems in Europe |
| title_short | Metals for Fuels? The Raw Material Shift by Energy-Efficient Transport Systems in Europe |
| title_sort | metals for fuels the raw material shift by energy efficient transport systems in europe |
| topic | energy-efficient transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions material resources |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/7/3/49 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jensteubler metalsforfuelstherawmaterialshiftbyenergyefficienttransportsystemsineurope AT sebastiankiefer metalsforfuelstherawmaterialshiftbyenergyefficienttransportsystemsineurope AT christaliedtke metalsforfuelstherawmaterialshiftbyenergyefficienttransportsystemsineurope |