13 Sep Green Transport
A high fleet renewal rate in commercial transportation was observed in Bulgaria prior to the crisis, due to the introduction of EU vehicle standards, thus, reducing CO2 emissions from transport. A rise in the standard of living and disposable income in the country over the past decade has led to a dramatic increase in the use of personal vehicles, and the over- all annual mileage covered by them. the latter has led to a total increase in the consumption of fuel, while the use of renewable electricity in the transport sector is negligible.
The European Union (2021) aired that since 2009, Bulgaria has gradually reduced its CO2 emissions from new passenger cars but still remained above the EU average in 2018, despite closing the gap. Since 2016, average CO2 emissions from new cars in Bulgaria remained below the EU fleet-wide average target of 130 gCO2/km set in 2015 and applied until 2020.
In 2018, 86.9 % of the vehicles in Bulgaria were over 10 years old, while new vehicles (1 to 5 years old) represented 5.6 % of the total.
Your challenge:
Reduce air travel
Transportation is now the number-one source of greenhouse gases. Eliminating just one roundtrip transatlantic flight will save you 1.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year.
Make your driving more efficient
While living a car-free lifestyle may not be possible for everybody, try substituting car trips with bike rides, bus trips, train rides, or other forms of public transportation. When you drive, cut back on fossil fuel emissions by accelerating slowly and using the air conditioning sparingly. Check your tire pressure for better fuel economy, carpool when possible, and consider purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle if you want a new car.
Plant trees
Deforestation is one of the significant causes of carbon emissions. Trees absorb and store the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but they can no longer absorb carbon once they are cut down.
*Source: EU progress on climate action – How are the Member States doing? | Climate action in Bulgaria | Latest state of play, European Parliament, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2021/689330/EPRS_BRI(2021)689330_EN.pdf