Reduce Transport Footprinting
On all highways in Europe, a maximum speed of 100km/hr (62 miles/hr) is to be decreed by European, Federal and Regional authorities as of 01/01/2025. Cashed fines collected in the context of this measure are to be used to obtain CO2 reduction goals.
The economic tissue is to be transformed in that transport of persons and goods is reduced to a minimum and the focus needs to shift from maximum profit to maximizing growth of local / regional economies. Bring all production closer to the consumer;
The concept of “the road/highway is your supply stock” is to be phased out over a period of 5 years. Factories need to have stock for at least 10 days. Supplies can only be delivered every 10 working days (excluding emergency medical supplies etc);
Promoting public transport by prolonged campaigns;
Massive investments in public transport infrastructures;
Cars with a cylinder content larger than 1500 cc are to be phased out by 2025 except for utility vehicles on farms, emergency vehicles. (I know, this is going to go down badly);
The use of “pool or shared cars” stationed at various placed around towns easily accessible by public transport is to be made so cheap, ownership of a private car would not be cost effective at all. The amount of pool cars stationed is 50% of the amount of households living in a range of 5 km. Vehicles are allocated after request as a function of the need (a family of 6 “needs” another car than a family of 3) - credit to PB for the idea -;
Transportation (vehicles) on the basis of fossil fuels are to be phased out by 2030 and replaced by hydrogen driven sources for long distances and electric cars for local city transport;
Vehicles (buses & cars)phased out in the rich countries because they are too polluting are no longer to be exported to poor countries to continue polluting there (end of the “vehicle ships” to Africa);
The use by any types of ships (large or small, commercial, container or cruise) of bunker fuel also known as heavy fuel oil that contains high sulfur levels is to be phased out by 2025 on all oceans and seas;
Within a range of 500km transport of goods is to be made as cheap as possible, from there onward transportation is to be made more expensive with increasing distance so that the economic gain of transporting goods over long distances is not warranted. Examples:
Textiles: for every 250km of transport above 500km sourced: 1 EUR footprint tax/product/kg.
A T-shirt produced in Dhaka (Bangladesh) and sold in Brussels (Belgium) - 7500 km extra to cover would thus get a 28 Eur transport levy;
Meat produced in South America and transported over 8000 km would likewise get a 30 Eur/kg transport levy;
Cars : 1% of selling price (baseline 2020) for every 250 km of transport above 2000 km sourced;
Other products to be determined.
Private jet planes are to be phased out by 2025; (example already given by Harry & Meghan);
Public (especially rail) transport companies from countries within the Schengen zone, private or state owned, shall develop by 2022 one internet platform allowing customers to book tickets from any serviced station in Europe to any other serviced station in Europe irrespective of country borders crossed.