Danish Oil Industry Association: Danes want green transport that works

According to CEO Peter Stigagaard, the Danish Oil Industry Association, it is crucial not only to look at Danes’ attitudes towards transport, but also to look at their habits.

A study of the Danes’ car habits conducted by the research agency Wilke shows that not less than 72 % of Danes answered yes to the question of whether the transport sector ought to be more environmentally friendly. However, the study went a bit deeper and not only looked at their attitudes but also their behavior. 

It turned out that Danes wish to take the environment into consideration when choosing their means of transportation, but in reality they choose their car based on different considerations. The large majority of Danes are dependent on having a reliable and economic car. Therefore, reliability, economy and the certainty of being able to get safely from A to B are top priorities when choosing a car. 

Nessecary with biofuels

In the area of transportation, the main challenge is how to make transport more environmentally friendly and at the same time maintain mobility. The two challenges are equally important and have to be solved in coherence, writes Peter Stigsgaard. 

In Denmark CO2 emissions from the transport sector have decreased by 15 % since 2007, even though we use our cars just as much. The development is due to optimizations and biofuels. 

In its World Energy Outlook 2013, the International Energy Agency (IEA) concludes that diesel and gasoline will remain dominant energy sources in transport in the coming decades. Biofuels will be the main alternative, while gas and especially electricity will play a minor role. 

Therefore, we need to continue the optimization of existing technologies, and we need to be open to introducing new technologies as these mature and become more competitive. So fare biofuels have been a brilliant example of this, writes Stigsgaard.