#29: Zero Emissions Transport with Tierney George (Part 1)

This talk is with Tierney George who is a graduate transport
engineer at GHD, she is passionate about creating a safe,
efficient, and sustainable transport future

She wrote a thesis entitled, "The contribution of zero-emission
vehicles in meeting Queensland’s carbon targets". The reason that
this is an important topic is that transport is one of the top
three polluting sectors in Australia. However, Tierney in her
thesis tells us that emerging technology such as electric
vehicles and hydrogen fuels may assist in changing this scenario.


Her project sought to answer the question of if and how
Queensland can reach zero transport emissions by 2050, with a
particular emphasis on the impact of electric passenger and low
emission freight vehicles. It investigated whether it was
possible for Queensland to eliminate transport tailpipe emissions
by 2050. It was confirmed that the goal could not be achieved
under business as usual conditions and that government controls
on vehicle sales and registrations would be required. To attain
near-complete emission abatement by 2050, sales of light internal
combustion vehicles would need to cease by 2030. Similarly, the
sale of heavy vehicles with internal combustion engines would
need to end by 2035, with the remaining ICVs in the 2050 fleet to
be de-registered.

She recommends at the end "that policymakers consider boosting
investment in the electrification of freight vehicles as well as
the industry sectors that underpin the development of a
successful hydrogen-fuelled fleet." As well, future studies may
consider repeating this process for the remaining vehicle
categories, motorcycles, buses, and non-freight trucks, to
develop a complete profile for the entire road fleet. Further,
the work may be adapted for non-road transport.


It was a very interesting interview - Follow us on @lifeonplaneta
on Instagram and Facebook and our website
lifeonplanetapodcast.com.au

Here is a breakdown of the podcast:

0:00 - Heidi Introduction

3:56 - What does Tierney think of nuclear?

5:50 - Introduction to Tierney

8:49 - Australia's carbon targets


9:21 - Paris Agreements

11:04 - How Australia is doing against Paris Agreement?

23:57 - Hydrogen

25:25 - Bella Enters the Show

29:40 - Hydrogen Freight Vehicles

32:35 - Transport Sector emissions


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