Sustainable development
Making railway greener, quieter and more energy efficient.
UIC is offering members and all those participating in groups and projects access to a secure shared workspace.
UIC media library (photos, videos).
RAIL Information System and Analyses.
UIC railway dictionary.
Compare the energy consumption, CO2- and exhaust atmospheric emissions for planes, cars and trains for PASSENGER transport in Europe.
Compare the energy consumption, CO2- and exhaust atmospheric emissions for planes, cars and trains for FREIGHT transport in Europe.
UIC documentation centre database.
Making railway greener, quieter and more energy efficient.
COP 24 - Katowice
Launch of the Eco scoring network
Publications:
The Future of Rail, Opportunities for energy and the environment, by International Energy Agency (IEA) in collaboration with UIC, 2019
UIC and IEA Railway Handbook
Global Sustainability Report 2012
Awareness of rail transport’s role as a key driver of sustainable development with the potential to mitigate the effects of climate change has increased significantly in recent years among civil society, citizens and decision makers. The rail sector must face the consequences of climate change not only in the short and medium term, but also in the longer term. It will have to adapt to environmental change and must anticipate risks in order to limit a heavy financial burden.
Climate change is not the only issue facing the railway sector. Consequently, UIC also works on other key issues, such as depletion of resources (water, metals, etc.) and polluting emissions, with a view to identifying ways to mitigate such issues. It seeks out alternatives to unsustainable land use and is involved in many other activities enabling the railways to be in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UIC Sustainability unit has developed cooperative links with the various stakeholders dealing with these issues worldwide. These collective efforts must be reinforced and must become more widespread, for example by improving data sharing to better assess rail performance and communicate the benefits it can offer as a sustainable transport mode.
The unit’s activities are governed by the UIC Energy, Environment and Sustainability Platform, an open meeting for members which takes place twice a year and is currently chaired by Willy Bontinck (SNCB). The unit also works with a core group to provide strategic direction as well as a number of working groups and is involved in several key projects.
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