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Less than a year ago, the first universal climate agreement was reached at COP21. Although we are still in the process of ratifying the ambitious Paris Agreement, COP22 has an important role to play in translating those ambitions into an agenda for concrete action. Hence, ACEA hopes that the COP22 conference in Marrakech will take the lead in shaping a pragmatic policy framework that allows ACEA’s members to continue to drive down greenhouse gas emissions while generating jobs and economic growth. Europe’s automobile manufacturers are fully committed to further reducing CO2 emissions. Our industry has already made great strides in improving the CO2 performance of new vehicles. In 2015, average new car emissions in Europe were 36 per cent lower than in 1995, an impressive decrease in just two decades. By 2021, CO2 emissions from new cars coming on to the roads will be 42 per cent less than in 2005, and I can assure you that we are committed to do even more in the future.CHANGING DEMANDDemand for passenger and freight transport will only continue to grow in decades to come. Forecasts suggest an increase in mobility demand of 2.6 times the current levels by 2050. Trade-related international freight is also projected to grow by a factor of 4.3 by 2050. At the same time, the very nature of our mobility needs is also changing rapidly. The expectations of younger generations are defined by the smartphone revolution; they increasingly demand transportation that provides the level of digital utility and capability to which they are accustomed when it comes to other services. In parallel, ideas of ownership are changing as well. With each generation, people seem to become less committed to vehicle ownership. And when looking at society as a whole, changes in consumer demand are transforming the types of goods that are being delivered, their distribution and the organisation of deliveries. Think, for example, of all those parcels delivered to people who are shopping online, all of them expecting rapid and direct delivery.Another phenomenon that is redefining mobility is urbanisation. It is estimated that our planet will count 9.7 billion inhabitants by 2050, with two-thirds of people living in urban settlements. By then, more than 82 per cent of people in Europe will live in cities. Besides the fact that mobility demand will increasingly need to meet the needs of city dwellers, cities are also among the areas where exceedances of air quality standards occur. Reducing air pollution, therefore, remains a priority as well, even though it is challenging to reduce CO2 and pollutants at the same time – as reducing both simultaneously requires conflicting measures.LESS MOBILITY IS NOT AN OPTIONClearly, less mobility is not an option, that is just not how our modern lives work. It is about rethinking mobility as a whole. After all, it is not just a question of meeting targets based on current demand, as we need to be able to meet much greater, and very different, mobility needs in the future. So when we are talking about translating global climate change ambitions into concrete actions, we need to overcome the traditional targets-only paradigm. Instead we need better mobility solutions, and European automobile manufacturers are well under way to create them. In order to meet tomorrow’s mobility needs, Europe’s automobile manufacturers are actively exploring new grounds to reach new levels of mobility. Besides developing state-of-the-art vehicles that are fuel-efficient and low-emitting, and investing in a wide range of alternative powertrains, manufacturers are also looking into completely new models of mobility. This positive industry outlook on the future of transport is what I would like to share with you in this article.CLEAN MOBILITYIn the future, road transport-related emissions will be dramatically reduced thanks to a greater uptake of vehicles with the latest technologies and alternative powertrains, as well as intelligent transport systems (ITS) and improved infrastructure. As a result of significant investments in charging infrastructure, the barriers that used to hamper the market uptake of alternative-fuel vehicles for so long will finally be overcome. Reliable and uniform charging infrastructure will be widely available across Europe for the whole spectrum of alternative powertrains. Thanks to a steady renewal of the vehicle fleet we will be able to reap the benefits of the latest low-emission technology, ensuring that vehicles consume less fuel (thus cutting CO2 emissions) and emit less pollutants. The automobile industry’s investments in more efficient vehicles will finally come to full fruition, as fleet renewal brings the latest generation of vehicles to our streets in large numbers.When looking at freight transport, heavy-duty vehicles will have made great strides as well. Intelligent transport systems in particular will help to make road transport much cleaner in decades “BY 2021, CO2 EMISSIONS FROM NEW CARS COMING ON TO THE ROADS WILL BE 42 PER CENT LESS THAN IN 2005 ”Pictured: Europe’s automobile manufacturers are actively exploring new ways to meet tomorrow’s mobility needs. TRANSPORT AND MOBILITY 093