歐盟執委會於3月28日通過一項長期運輸策略，其内容包含在2050年前，歐洲城市内將禁止通行以汽、柴油為動力的車輛。儘管汽車製造商和環保人士表示支持此計劃，但態度仍有所保留，同時許多反對意見持續發酵中。
所謂的2050運輸計劃（Transport 2050），該策略即是將大部分的載客運輸轉移到高速鐵路運輸、要求航空業者使用40%可持續發展的低碳燃料、並強制貨物運輸業著削減 40%的排放量。
執委會負責交通事務的副主席西姆卡拉斯表示：「2050運輸計劃為一建立具有競爭力之交通運輸系統而規劃的準則，目的為提高機動性並減少排放。我們可以而且也必須雙管齊下。至於普遍認爲需要降低機動性來因應氣候變化是不正確的。」
3月28日公佈的白皮書爲歐盟地區5億人口重點提列新的策略。執委會表示，其目標為建立一單一的歐洲運輸區，和一全面整合的交通網絡，以連結不同運輸模式，達到大幅轉變客運和貨運運輸方式的目標。
就城市交通而言，這意味著積極尋求更清潔的汽車和燃料。執委會計劃至2030年前能減少傳統燃料汽車50%的使用，並在2050年前在各歐盟城市中淘汰這類車輛。
到2030年，距今不到20年的時間，該策略要求在各大市中心内運輸的貨物，不會排放任何二氧化碳，亦即導致氣候變化的元兇溫室氣體。
在該項新的策略之下，2050年前歐洲高速鐵路網絡將是完整的，並且大多數的中距客運承載將透過鐵路。
就中期來看，2030年前，該策略要求高速鐵路網將增加為現有長度的3倍，同時所有會員國都將保有「密集的鐵路網」。
2050運輸計劃目標是，到2030年達到30%行駛300公里以上的的道路運輸轉換成鐵路或水路運輸，到2050年時超過50%。新型高效和綠色貨運通道將發展到適應的轉變。
執委員會表示，所有該策略提列要點將有助於在2005年前削減60%的運輸排放量。
Cars fueled by gasoline or diesel could be banned in European cities by the year 2050 under a new long-term transport strategy adopted by the European Commission on Monday. Automakers and environmentalists each expressed cautious support for the plan, leavened with many objections.
Called Transport 2050, the strategy would shift most passenger transport to high-speed rail, require the 40 percent use of sustainable low carbon fuels in aviation, and mandate a 40 percent cut in shipping emissions.
EU Vice-President Siim Kallas, who is responsible for transport, said, "Transport 2050 is a roadmap for a competitive transport sector that increases mobility and cuts emissions. We can and we must do both. The widely held belief that you need to cut mobility to fight climate change is simply not true."
In a White Paper issued Monday that outlines the new strategy for the European Union's 500 million citizens, the Commission says its goal is to create a Single European Transport Area with more competition and a fully integrated transport network which links the different modes and allows for a profound shift in transport patterns for passengers and freight.
For urban transport, that means a big shift to cleaner cars and cleaner fuels. The Commission plans a 50 percent shift away from conventionally fueled cars by 2030, and a phase-out in cities by 2050.
By 2030, less than 20 years from today, the strategy calls for movement of goods in major urban centers that would not emit any carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to climate change.
Under the new strategy, by 2050 a European high-speed rail network would be complete and the majority of medium-distance passenger transport would be by rail.
In the medium-term, by 2030, the strategy calls for tripling the length of the existing high-speed rail network and maintaining a "dense railway network" in all Member States.
Transport 2050 aims for 30 percent of road freight that travels over 300 kilometers (200 miles) to shift to rail or waterborne transport by 2030, and more than 50 percent by 2050. New efficient and green freight corridors would be developed to accomodate the shift.
All the measures outlined under the strategy would contribute to a 60 percent cut in transport emissions by the middle of the century, the Commission said.
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