Reducing CO2 Emissions from Road Transport - Overview of the Main Initiatives and Technical Measures Proposed to Date in Europe

The demand for fossil fuel in the transport sector is constantly increasing and transportation is ranked amongst the highest greenhouse emitting sectors globally. Today, tackling CO2 emissions from road transport a widely discussed topic and constitutes a milestone towards reaching a sustainable, carbon neutral economy. This challenge is being described in various initiatives adopted in the European :::union::: and other parts of the world. So far several measures have been proposed and adopted for reversing the increasing greenhouse gas emissions trends. This paper attempts an overview of the existing policy framework in various countries focusing on European :::union:::. In addition, the main technical measures proposed and promoted in this direction are presented and evaluated with respect to their greenhouse reduction potential. Special attention is paid to emerging technologies, such as hybrid vehicles and biofuels. The main factors differentiating the officially reported CO2 emissions from actual real life emissions are discussed and a brief evaluation of the current European policy is presented.