28/09/2009
Greenhouse gases - RFF uses its network to fight global warming
Greenhouse gases - RFF uses its network to fight global warming ( PDF, 85 kb )
It will combine economic and ecological concerns, to fuel a new type of green growth, driven by railway transport. It is no longer enough to talk about how it is naturally good for sustainable development. Now is the time to roll out tools to optimise the ecological and economic balance. This balance can be met by more intense use of the rail network, by renovating the existing network, and by using newer, less carbon-hungry technologies. This process falls under the Grenelle de l’Environnement, which guides RFF’s action, in particular through the performance agreement the company signed with the government last year on 3 November, and the sustainable development charter signed with the Minister for the State Jean-Louis Borloo.
In order to control greenhouse gas emissions, France needs to take strong, timely measures to respect its commitments. The "carbon restriction" has a priority focus on the transport sector, which accounts for 26% of France’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The Grenelle 1 law passed on 3 August 2009 sets the objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% between now and 2020, bringing them back down to 1990 levels.
Road transport is the primary culprit, since it accounts for more than 90% of the sector’s greenhouse gases. Railway transport is an effective means of reducing emissions when it is used well. This form of transport represents a long-term solution for sustainable mobility, but it is held up to performance objectives, and its actions and methods must be evaluated.
Réseau Ferré de France is now working to define its approach to carbon emissions in order to make a contribution to the national commitment, based on three main issues:
how to minimise the company’s carbon footprint
how to reduce RFF’s carbon vulnerability where is business model is concerned
how to include carbon restrictions in the company’s decisions and project management.
The carbon assessment can be used to combine an economic approach with an ecological approach, to measure how well our investments meet climate restrictions, and to offer good, transparent options for the future.
During sustainable development week, RFF organised its own "carbon week" from 17 to 25 September, with several events on the agenda:
an RFF staff meeting on 17 September to get the company involved in launching an in-house carbon assessment (conducted before 2009) and preparing new carbon calculation tools;
a seminar held on 22 September on the measures to be taken to meet the "factor 4" objective (a fourfold decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050), with experts, partners and decision-makers;
a presentation on 25 September in Besançon, with ADEME and SNCF, on the Rhine-Rhone (eastern branch) HSL carbon assessment, prepared using tools that will be applied to all the Grenelle de l’Environnement railway investment projects.
The Rhine-Rhone (eastern branch) HSL carbon assessment is the first of its kind, because it covers the entire infrastructure life cycle (design, construction, operation) as well as stations and rolling stock. In 2006, construction began on the Rhine-Rhone HSL, which has been in the works for fourteen years. Alongside ADEME and SNCF, a reference "calculator" was design according to ecological and economic criteria, so that the most suitable design, construction and operational options could be selected.
The first review for this HSL is positive, since its carbon emissions should be offset twelve years after the line is opened for service (planned for December 2011).
PRESS CONTACTS:
Jean-Marie GUILLEMOT
Tel. 01 53 94 30 14
jean-marie.guillemot@rff.fr
www.rff.fr
Manon HERAIL
Tel. 01 53 94 31 38
manon.herail@rff.fr
