Transport Brief
Russia and the Great Plane Robbery
Since the imposition of sanctions, Russia has effectively stolen some 400 planes which were leased from abroad, a move considered the greatest theft of airplanes ever committed. The value of the stolen aircraft is valued at around $10 billion.
Oil ban: EU seeks a refined solution to a crude problem
After weeks of speculation, the news from Brussels is that sanctions on Russian oil will be finalised today and put to member states tomorrow.
Will a Russian oil ban resurrect the 1970s?
Speculation is rife of an imminent announcement of fresh sanctions targeting Russian oil. But telling citizens to drive less and consume less energy is as likely to be unpopular today as it was 50 years ago.
Unmasking the USA
US authorities have ended the national requirement to wear a face mask on public transport, including planes, trains, taxis, and buses, following a ruling by a Florida judge that the Biden administration’s mandate was unlawful.
EU loses taste for caviar but maintains appetite for oil
As fresh horrors in Bucha and Mariupol come to light, pressure to impose further sanctions is mounting. However, EU countries are far from united on the issue of Russian oil.
Travel freedom vs climate breakdown
The chief recommendation in the IPCC report on climate breakdown is the most difficult to implement – reducing demand. Essentially, this means calling on people to travel less.
Catch-22: The EU’s Russian oil dilemma
Last week’s European Council likely came as something of a relief to the Kremlin. EU leaders chose not to end the bloc’s reliance on Russian-imported fossil fuels, instead opting to “close loopholes” in existing sanctions.
‘When you ride alone, you ride with Putin!’
Governments encouraging ordinary citizens to adopt behavioural change, such as driving less, in extraordinary times is nothing new. But the degree to which demands for change are accepted depends on a myriad of factors – even cultural factors.
Can electric vehicles help defund the Russian war machine?
With the realisation that conventionally fuelled vehicles are propping up the Russian war machine, the shift to electric vehicles has gained a powerful geopolitical selling point.
The cost of war is being felt at the petrol pump
It seems vulgar to talk economics given the brutal reality of war being waged in the eastern part of this continent, but rising fuel prices have major consequences for Europe.
Europe unites over Russia-free skies
The sudden nature of the EU's blockade caused major disruption – hundreds of EU citizens have been left stranded in Russia, their return flight prohibited from entering the airspace of their home country.
The last flight out of Ukraine
Even before Russia declared Donetsk and Luhansk independent regions, flights to Ukraine from the West had already been cancelled en masse, to the frustration of Ukrainian authorities.
European Parliament bets big on better batteries to secure market position
The European Parliament’s environment committee voted last week on amendments to the proposed EU battery regulation, throwing its support behind higher collection targets for portable batteries and increased materials recovery levels.
The backlash against electric cars
Revolutions are messy affairs and the electric vehicle revolution is no exception. As EVs become mainstream, sceptics are increasingly vocal. Read more in our Transport Brief.
COVID hurt airlines’ profits. Will climate measures do the same?
Global pandemics aren’t the only threat to airlines’ bottom lines. Climate-concerned lawmakers are increasingly looking to extract a pound of flesh on behalf of Mother Nature.
Vălean’s valiant defence of the winter transport package
EU transport Commissioner Adina Vălean called in to the European Parliament's transport committee on Monday to answer questions on the Commission's winter mobility package.
The Transport Brief, powered by Ubitricity & Lightyear – ETS for road transport: support grows for controversial proposal
Among the Fit for 55 legislative proposals, a package not short on contentious measures, the extension of the ETS to road transport and buildings stood out as particularly divisive. But there are signs minds are changing.
Cutting transport emissions in the shadow of COVID
By the end of 2022, the path that the EU intends to take to achieve low-carbon mobility promises to be much clearer.
Interesting times ahead
From an EU policy perspective, 2021 saw climate change take centre stage. In the transport sector, policy debates revolved around how to cut Europe’s notoriously high mobility emissions without severely harming industries or curtailing movement.
The gift of efficient and green mobility
Later today the EU executive will unveil the "efficient and green mobility package", a series of initiatives aimed at further cutting transport's carbon footprint.
Eco-elitism and electric cars
Despite its humble roots, the modern environmental movement is often charged with elitism. With their high price tag, electric cars do little to shake the perception that going green is designed for the wealthy.
The Transport Brief, powered by Neste – Overpromising and underdelivering on EU transport infrastructure
When it comes to overpromising and underdelivering, EU politicians are no exception. A new report by the European Court of Auditors found that the EU’s strategic transport objectives are "overly ambitious and not always matched by real results".
The Transport Brief, powered by SESAR JU – The electric car problem
Electric cars don’t produce tail-pipe emissions, and how quick they are to recoup the emissions expended in the manufacturing process depends on the type of electricity that is being used to charge them. However, there are serious problems with cars that go beyond their fuel source.
The Transport Brief, powered by SESAR JU – Good COP, Bad COP
Some decry COP26 as a failure, while others see the summit as worth celebrating. The Glasgow-based conference's approach to transport, which put a heavy emphasis on electric vehicles, also has its detractors and supporters.