Leading expert on sustainable logistics, Professor Gordon Wilmsmeier, visited UQ to discuss decarbonising road freight.
The Road to Decarbonisation
Australia has set ambitious national targets for emission reductions, aiming for a 43% decrease by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Queensland has taken an even more aggressive stance, targeting a 75% reduction by 2035.
The challenge of reducing emissions across Australia's transport sector is crucial to achieve these targets, with particular importance in Queensland, where road freight is the primary source of emissions within the transport sector. While other economic sectors are decarbonising rapidly, the road freight transport sector is harder to abate and emissions are likely to be one of the highest carbon emissions contributors by 2030 at national level.
The path to decarbonisation is complex and requires a multi-faceted approach. This includes the development of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, the optimization of logistics for increased efficiency, and the creation of new policies and incentives to support trucking companies in transitioning to cleaner technologies. The use of data is often overlooked, and Professor Wilmsmeier’s experience globally shows even where data exists, it is often not shared or used to support data-driven decisions to support decarbonisation within the transport industry.
As part of the work undertaken by the Sustainable Infrastructure Research Hub (SIRH) at the University of Queensland, we are working together with researchers, industry partners, and policymakers, to drive sustainable changes throughout infrastructure including transport. The SIRH has a strong network of collaborators, to enable Australia to draw on global expertise and support the development of impactful solutions globally.
On the 18th of June 2024, the SIRH hosted Professor Gordon Wilmsmeier for a special event in Brisbane: Shaping change Accelerating the decarbonization of road freight transport. This was Professor Wilmsmeier's first visit to UQ as a Visiting Scholar. More than 15 attendees from the Queensland government agencies and private sector companies discussed around how to achieve zero emissions in the road freight transport sector by utilising the available data to support the decision -making process.
Gusavo Martinez Tello, presenting his insights.
Professor Wilmsmeier's research experience is directly relevant to Queensland's efforts to reduce carbon emissions. He focuses on making transport more efficient while also using cleaner energy sources. His involvement in projects such as the Giro Zero initiative in Colombia, where the SIRH’s researcher Gustavo Martinez played a crucial role, shows their expertise in supporting the road freight decarbonisation journey. During the event state-of-the-art data-based tools and simulators were showcased, providing valuable insights to inform both evidence-based public policy and private sector investment decisions.
Professor Wilmsmeier holds positions as Associate Professor of Shipping and Global Logistics and Director of the Hapag-Lloyd Center for Shipping and Global Logistics (CSGL) at Kühne Logistics University (KLU). He also holds the Kühne Chair of Logistics at Colombia's Universidad de los Andes, Bogota. Professor Wilmsmeier also leads the Global Port Performance Research Network (PPRN), serves as Vice-President of the International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), and holds an associate membership in PortEconomics.
The SIRH is committed to collaborating with industry and government to create a more sustainable future for road freight transport. For inquiries about Professor Wilmsmeier's visit or SIRH's transport research activities, please email Gustavo Martinez Tello.
