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Record reduction of emissions from Swedish heavy traffic

The increased use of renewable diesel has greatly reduced carbon dioxide (CO2 )emissions from heavy traffic in Sweden. Total emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from heavy vehicles decreased from 3.75 million tonnes of CO2 to 3.33 million tonnes of CO2 between 2015 and 2016. This is a reduction by 11 percent, accounting for almost half of the reduction of (GHG) emissions in Sweden last year, according to a statement the Swedish Bioenergy Association (Svebio).

Thanks to an increased use of biofuels, Swedish greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from traffic declined 11 percent between 2015 and 2016. For busses, the emission reduction was 7.6 percent according to the Swedish Bioenergy Association (Svebio).

The Swedish fuel companies have done a great job together with the transport companies to reduce their climate impact from heavy traffic. It is above all the increased use of HVO diesel that is behind this reduction but also the use of other biofuels is of importance, like rapeseed diesel (RME) and ethanol, commented Tomas Ekbom, Svebio’s biofuels expert.

Sweden is the forerunner in the European Union (EU) when it comes to introducing renewable diesel (hydrotreated vegetable oil – HVO) and other renewable transportation fuels. Biofuels account for more than 20 percent of all transport fuels in Sweden, and for diesel, the renewable share is over 25 percent. It is this high use of biofuels that affect the emission statistics and significantly reduces Swedish emissions of climate gases.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions declined from all types of vehicles between 2015 and 2016: from cars with 3.3 percent, from buses with 7.6 percent, from light-duty vehicles 7.6 percent, from motorcycles and mopeds with 5 percent.

2015
2016
Reduction
Total greenhouse gases (kt CO2-eqv.)
ROAD TRAFFIC, TOTAL16 710,615 771,3-5,6%
– Cars10 662,110 314,6-3,3%
– Buses699,3646,1-7,6%
– Light duty vehicles1 502,51 389,7-7,5%
– Mopeds and motorcycles92,788,0-5,0%
– Heavy duty vehicles3 754,03 332,9-11,0%

Source: Statistics Sweden’s statistics, greenhouse gas emissions from domestic transport.

The figures show that fuel change from fossil to biofuel is a fast and effective way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from traffic. It’s an underestimated means of achieving rapid climate benefits, said Gustav Melin, CEO of Svebio.

Sweden together with Finland leads Europe in introducing transportation biofuels. Most of the EU member states are far from the 2020 target of 10 percent renewable fuel in transport.

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