“When we look at the series of policies implemented” for the ecological transition, “the road remains the poor relation of these policies,” laments one of these specialists.
(AFP/THOMAS SAMSON)
Faced with the opposition encountered “as soon as we touch the individual car”, experts launched on Tuesday, November 12, an Alliance for the decarbonization of the road. Objective: bring businesses and communities together around concrete solutions to reduce pollution and CO2 emissions.
The political scientist François Gémenne, member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the economist Patrice Geoffron and Géraud Guibert, president of the Ecological Factory think tank, explained in a press release sent to the
AFP
want to highlight
“the most effective decarbonization solutions in order to succeed in the ecological and energy transition of mobility”
.
The Alliance should propose an initiative on transport solutions in rural and semi-rural areas from spring 2024.
For a “sustainable road”
Among the first members of this alliance are public transport groups like Transdev and Keolis, transporters like Geodis, the gas distributor GRDF, Electra or ChargePoint, the concessionaire Vinci Autoroutes, as well as the car manufacturer BMW. Mercedes France is currently considering joining it.
This alliance is based on a manifesto published in June in the newspaper
The JDD
, signed by fifteen researchers, who called for “accelerating the investments and commitments necessary for a sustainable road”. For François Gémenne, “when we look at the series of policies undertaken” for the ecological transition,
“the road remains the poor relation of these policies”.
“As soon as we touch the individual car, we encounter people’s opposition,” underlines François Gémenne, professor of environmental geopolitics at Sciences Po. “Our message is more positive: there are measures to be implemented. room for constrained journeys to be made differently, such as electrification, express coaches, carpooling lines.”
The Automobile Platform (PFA), which represents the sector, has also joined this alliance with the departmental council of Essonne, the metropolis of Montpellier and the city of Valence (Drôme).