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104 TRANSPORTATION ENERGYMANAGING EMISSIONS IN THE FREIGHT TRANSPORT SECTOR: A PATH FORWARDThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that 14 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector, and in developed economies such as the United States, that figure can be above 25 per cent. Despite this massive footprint, historical global climate measures have mostly ignored this sector.  With the landmark climate accord reached in Paris this past December, however, world leaders have committed themselves to taking a comprehensive account of their GHG output from ALL sources. As nations begin to think seriously about how they can transition to a low-carbon transportation network, there are lessons to be learned from initiatives in the private sector and from governments on a sub-national level. The successful path forward will leverage these achievements while creating a regulatory environment that helps companies accurately measure their emissions output, creating low-carbon transportation strategies for the future.Most national climate action around the world in recent decades has focused on the large-scale emitters, such as those in the power or agriculture sectors, and for good reason. To this point, it has been most effective to begin by focusing on a small set of large emitters – such as a few thousand power plants – rather than on a large set of small emitters – such as the millions of engines in the vehicle fleet. Encouragingly, the most effective way to reduce emissions from these engines is to reduce transportation fuel consumption, and this reduction often correlates directly to an economic benefit for the consumer. As a result, there are unique synergies to be found for businesses that seek to cut fuel consumption and emissions while also cutting costs.Within the transportation sector, the freight transport industry is the most concentrated source of GHG emissions. With larger engine sizes, higher weights, and far greater annual distances, each vehicle in the freight transport industry has an outsize impact on the sector’s collective emissions output. This concentration of emissions has led many companies to develop innovative ways to reduce the carbon intensity of their transportation networks. Major shippers have taken full account of their current networks, optimizing their use of more efficient modes of transport. In the United States, for instance, shippers typically see emissions reductions of 40-45 per cent per movement simply by switching from truck to rail transport. Building upon this optimization of transport modes, many leading shippers employ alternative fuel strategies, incorporating biodiesel blends or low-carbon natural gas into their transportation fuel portfolios. These private sector advances in emissions management should be taken into account and built upon, as governments seek to promote further action on transportation emissions.Any business that takes meaningful steps to reduce its carbon output must first establish an emissions baseline against which to measure future reductions. In keeping with this principle, governments should support these baseline efforts, providing accurate emissions factor data that reflect the unique dynamics of their fuel supply and their vehicle fleet’s capabilities. National governments should also support the “ ANY BUSINESS THAT TAKES MEANINGFUL STEPS TO REDUCE ITS CARBON OUTPUT MUST FIRST ESTABLISH AN EMISSIONS BASELINE AGAINST WHICH TO MEASURE FUTURE REDUCTIONS ”Above: Daniel CullenDANIEL CULLEN, DIRECTOR, APPLIED KNOWLEDGE, BREAKTHROUGH®FUEL