The objective of this paper is to examine the viability and potential effects of different actions that Germany and the European Union (EU) can take to curb the growth of GHG emissions from the international transport sector. It analyzes different options that policy makers have available to reduce transport induced emissions. In doing so, this paper takes the impacts on trade, especially for developing countries, into account. The overarching question that reverberates throughout the paper is: what are the advantages and disadvantages of different measures that Germany and the EU can take to limit emissions from trade-related transport?
This paper starts off by showing the historic and projected growth of trade-related GHG emissions from transport and the various measures that have been proposed or implemented to curb this growth. A global response to climate change will inevitably include methods to mitigate GHG emissions from the transport sector.