Sustainable transport energy

Transport is central to our way of life and enables us to access employment, goods, services and social opportunities. The challenge is that transport activities also have considerable environmental impacts. A lot of energy is required to move us around and the burning of fossil fuels for transport (and other activities) has been identified as a major contributor to climate change. This, combined with growing concerns about future oil supplies indicates that current patterns of transport energy use are likely to prove unsustainable. New approaches to meeting our transport energy needs will be required.

The Premier’s May 2007 Climate Change Action Statement provides a framework for Western Australia’s efforts to tackle this important issue, through the adoption of a target to reduce the State’s total greenhouse gas emissions by 60% of year 2000 levels by 2050.

The Action Statement includes a commitment to ‘develop a Transport Emissions Reduction Strategy to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Western Australia’s transport sector through a range of measures that will include the exploration of alternative fuels’.

The Department is leading the development of this Transport Emissions Reduction Strategy (TERS). Once completed, the TERS will be made available on this website. The Department has also managed the trial of three hydrogen EcoBuses. See more information on the EcoBus trial.