In order to stay in line with the Paris Agreement, countries need to multiply their ambitions threefold and carbon neutrality must be reached before 2050. According to the Paris Agreement, countries must renew or revise the climate commitments they submitted in 2015 (Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)) upwards by the end of 2020. They must correspond to the “highest level of ambition possible”. The EU has already undertaken to increase its targets for 2030 and is also working under the European Green Deal to become the world’s first climate neutral continent by 2050. UIC proposes to go one step further and is launching a communication campaign by revising some of the sector’s commitments, both at a European level and at a global level. Railway climate responsibility pledge At the UN Climate Summit in September 2014, UIC presented the Low Carbon Rail Transport Challenge – Technical Report. This initiative sets out a vision for the development of the railway sector at the global level as a sustainable alternative to other modes of transportation that are more carbon intensive, such as road transport and aviation. The challenge includes three sets of voluntary targets: to improve rail efficiency, to decarbonize electricity supply, and to achieve a more sustainable balance of transport modes. At this time, European and global targets were designed to be complementary, whilst reflecting the different realities at European and world level. UIC is committed to reducing specific final energy consumption per traffic unit (50% by 2030 and 60% by 2050) and specific average CO2 emissions per traffic units from train operations (50% by 2030 and 75% by 2050), all relative to a 1990 baseline. In 2014, UIC also launched the Modal Shift Challenge, calling for investments that encourage a move to rail transport away from more carbon intensive transport options. The target was to achieve a 50% increase of the share of rail in passenger transport (in passenger-km) by 2030 compared to 2010, and a 100% increase by 2050. One key component of the Modal Shift Challenge was the Railway Climate Responsibility Pledge, which set out industry actions to complement the targets set for railways world-wide. During the Train to Paris high-level event in November 2015, this pledge was presented to high-level representatives of the United Nations. The Climate Responsibility pledge has been signed by more than 60 UIC members, representing most of global rail activity. In 2019, UIC proposes to go one step further by aligning its 2050 CO2 emissions target to something that is becoming more and more widely shared as a consensual target to achieve the Paris Agreement: carbon neutrality by 2050 (instead of - 75% by 2050).

To reduce specific average CO2 emissions from train operations by: 50% reduction by 2030 and 75% reduction by 2050 (relative to a 1990 baseline); Rail share of passenger transport (passenger/km) to achieve a: 50% increase by 2030 and 100% increase, a doubling by 2050 (relative to a 2010 baseline); Rail share of freight land transport (tonne/km) to be: equal with road by 2030 and 50% greater than road by 2050.

• Creation of the Climate Responsibility Pledge • Organised the Train to Paris for COP21 and actively participating in Conference of Parties every year. • UIC Sustainability Conference in Vienna in 2016 Capacity building: • Workshops on rail adaption in London, Beijing, and Agadir under the RailAdapt Project • Workshops on energy efficiency in the rail sector every year. Knowledge development: • Developed the Environment Strategy Reporting System (ESRS)

Implementation of the Challenge will result in 50% reduction in CO2 emissions from train operations by 2030, and 75% reduction by 2050, 50% reduction in energy consumption from train operations by 2030, and 60% reduction by 2050, 50% increase in rail’s share of passenger transportation by 2030 and doubling by 2050 (2010 baseline), rail freight activity equal to that of road freight by 2030, and exceeding road freight volumes by 50% by 2050. Energy efficiency road map in development, final version to be published following completion of stakeholder consultation. Annual program of expert network meetings every 3 months supported by a global conference every 2 years.

After COP21 77 CEOs representing the majority of the worlds rail activity have signed the UIC Climate Responsibility Pledge detailing a commitment to 4 actions; 1. to reduce specific energy consumption and CO2 emissions, and through this contribute to the “UIC Low Carbon Rail Transport Challenge” and its global 2030/2050 targets, 2. Stimulate modal shift to rail in national and international markets, 3. actively communicate climate friendly initiatives, 4. report data on specific energy consumption and CO2 emissions to UIC on a regular basis. Improvement of rail energy and CO2 intensity are currently in line with the 2030 and 2050 targets. The latest audited data (2013) indicates that specific energy consumption has reduced by 37% since 1990, and specific CO2 emissions have reduced by 30% in the same period.

Data on modal share are derived from the International Energy Agency database. Energy efficiency road map in development, final version to be published following completion of stakeholder consultation. Annual program of expert network meetings every 3 months supported by a global conference every 2 years.

For detailed analysis refer to the UIC-IEA Handbook on Energy & CO2 Emissions, see https://uic.org/sustainable-development/energy-and-co2-emissions/uic-iea-railway-handbook