Municipal and industry professionals are invited to register for a seminar about transport decarbonization solutions

Delfi.lv 06.11.2024

Transport Decarbonization (Shutterstock)

The Vidzeme Planning Region invites municipal specialists and representatives of the transport sector to participate in the seminar "Challenges and Solutions for Transport Decarbonization", which will take place on November 22 at 11:00 AM in Cēsis, at the Space Exploration Center.

Several experts will speak at the seminar, offering valuable knowledge and experience for exploring transport decarbonization solutions. Among them will be Armands Gūtmanis, Head of the Latvian Climate Neutrality Cluster 2050, who will provide insights into financing opportunities for decarbonizing freight and municipal transport, and Aiga Barisa, Associate Professor at Riga Technical University’s Institute of Environmental Protection and Thermal Systems, who will introduce the “CommitClimate Simulator” tool designed for assessing and modeling CO₂ emissions at the municipal level.

Discussions and workshops will be led by Justs Dimants, economist and lead researcher at the Sustainibility Cluster Latvia, who will help analyze factors affecting the transport sector and engage the audience in exploring infrastructure, tax policies, and European Union (EU) funding options to support the sector.

The seminar will be valuable for both municipal specialists and transport sector professionals, providing practical knowledge and tools to achieve decarbonization goals. Municipal specialists will gain insights into how to develop more environmentally friendly transport infrastructure and leverage available funding mechanisms at the local level to address climate challenges more effectively.

For businesses and industry professionals, the seminar will present innovative solutions and highlight the benefits of green technologies, helping improve competitiveness and compliance with EU regulations while promoting sustainable transport development.

In today’s world, decarbonization has become a key priority, and companies must adapt to the green economy to meet growing consumer demand for sustainable solutions. By investing in green technologies and innovative approaches, businesses not only maintain but can also enhance their competitiveness in the global market.

In the European Union, ambitious climate targets have been set. For example, Latvia must reduce emissions from sectors not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (non-ETS) by 17% by 2030. These non-ETS sectors include transport, agriculture, building heating, and other areas. In Latvia, the transport sector—primarily road transport—accounts for 37% of non-ETS emissions.

Moreover, half of all road transport emissions come from freight and municipal transport, which continue to grow. This increase, along with the need to comply with EU climate requirements, puts pressure on municipalities and businesses to find effective decarbonization solutions. The seminar “Transport Decarbonization Challenges and Solutions” is organized by the Vidzeme Planning Region as part of the Interreg Europe 2021–2027 project SPOTLOG. Co-organizers of the event include the CommitClimate project and the Sustainability Cluster Latvia.

Full article: Municipal and industry professionals are invited to register for the seminar on transport decarbonization solutions.