As part of the Energy Forum held in Vienna from 18 – 20 June, Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, Director General of UIC, was invited to participate in a high-level panel on transport. He was thus able to reiterate the commitments made through UIC by the international railway community to reduce the consumption of energy and carbon emissions by 2050.

He emphasised that thanks to electrification and the more systematic search for clean energy sources, railways were an important vector in reducing the level of carbon emissions.

Mr Loubinoux highlighted that if the transport sector represented around 25% of emissions at global level, railway transport only represents 1%, and despite this, continues to make numerous efforts to improve its carbon footprint. He stressed that this panel was representative of a new approach to modal complementarity, so that each mode can offer society the best of what it has, both for the customer and for all aspects of energy.

Finally, Mr Loubinoux spoke about UIC’s role in the preparations for the COP21 event to be held in Paris to show rail’s desire – in conjunction with other modes – to make further progress in the area.

The opening speeches were delivered by LI Yong, the Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO); Martin Ledolter, Managing Director, Austrian Development Agency (ADA); Michael Linhart, Secretary General of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Europe, Integration and Foreign and Affairs (BMEIA); Pavel Kabat, Director General and Chief Executive Officer, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA); and Kandeh Yumkella, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative.