NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- World leaders gathering in New York during Climate Week NYC, at the One Planet Summit and the Bloomberg Global Business Forum, seeking commitments and concrete actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, should know that substantial progress has been made in lowering the carbon footprint of diesel technology, a technology that powers 15 sectors of the global economy.
“We should embrace innovation and opportunity in every form, and at the same time not lose sight of technologies that deliver climate progress today on a wide scale,” said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. “Making progress on global climate commitments requires a mix of proven and existing technologies, working alongside new technologies. Among these must be the new generation of diesel power.”
When coupled with low-sulfur diesel fuels, the newest generation of diesel power is more efficient and reduces greenhouse gas emissions – both carbon dioxide as well as black carbon emissions. Alternative fuels and forms of energy, such as electrification, are largely aspirational or far outside the practical consideration for many cities and countries.
“The diversity of needs around the world for energy, expanding economic capacity and delivering essential public services is substantial,” said Schaeffer. “Diesel power provides the critical means for both developing and developed countries to meet these basic needs in construction, emergency services, goods transport, farming and power generation.”
Diesel powers one out of every two sectors in the global economy. At work on the streets, on jobsites, and in farm fields, mines and beyond, greenhouse gas emissions reductions are not a prospective goal, but a daily reality, driven by the increased use of more advanced diesel engines, vehicles and equipment around the globe.
Tackling climate change is a big challenge that requires many solutions, and diesel power is delivering:
- 59 million tons of CO2 eliminated through the use of the latest generation of clean diesel trucks on the road in the United States since 2011.
- 10 tons of CO2 saved by a single, new Class 8 diesel truck in one year, relative to previous generations of technology. Between 2016 and 2017, the United States experienced a 6 percent increase in purchases of new-generation diesel-powered commercial trucks.
- 1 billion tons of CO2 expected to be reduced in the United States from the use of more fuel-efficient commercial trucks between 2021 and 2027, when more stringent fuel economy standards for trucks are phased in. Diesel is expected to be the primary power for these vehicles.
- More American drivers are choosing bigger vehicles like pickups and SUVs. If every full-size pickup sold were a diesel, we could eliminate the same amount of CO2 as if 15 percent of all cars on the road today were EVs.
- The City of San Francisco eliminated 63,000 tons of CO2 in a year by powering 606 diesel buses with renewable diesel fuel.
- 17 million tons of black carbon emissions will be eliminated between 2000 and 2030, according to the state of California, from the rollout of clean diesel trucks and equipment.
- By 2030 black carbon emissions attributable to diesel engines will almost be eliminated in California, thanks to the introduction of the newest generation of diesel technology, not due to fuel switching or diesel replacement.
- Use of renewable diesel fuel – not electrification or natural gas – in California is the primary means by which the state is achieving its low carbon fuel mandates, as well as its progress toward the global climate action plan.
“Fortunately, established technologies like diesel are not standing still,” said Schaeffer. “Thanks to continuous improvement in efficiency and performance, the newest generation of diesel engine – when deployed in conjunction with ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel – offers a proven, cost-effective, energy-efficiency, near-zero-emission power choice. New renewable diesel and biodiesel fuel options – drop-in replacements for conventional fossil-based diesel – mean that the newest diesel technologies can cut greenhouse gasses and other emissions even further.”
For more information on how diesel technology contributes to worldwide goals, visit https://www.dieselforum.org/dieselpowersthefuture.
Other resources:
- View the recording of the Diesel Technology Forum’s Global Climate Action Summit Affiliate Event: Carbon Cutting, Industrial Size, held September 11, 2018
- New Generation of Clean Diesel Power Ensures Progress on Global Energy, Environment and Economic Goals
- Progress and Potential for Achieving Cleaner Air on a Global Basis
- Meeting Clean Air Goals
- The Clean Air Diet: Knocking the Pounds Off NOx
- Climate Change, Black Carbon and Clean Diesel
About The Diesel Technology Forum
The Diesel Technology Forum is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of Diesel engines, fuel and technology. Forum members are leaders in clean Diesel technology and represent the three key elements of the modern clean Diesel system: advanced engines, vehicles and equipment, cleaner Diesel fuel and emissions-control systems. For more information, visit http://www.dieselforum.org
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