Intelligent Transport Greener Future 2025

Optimizing modal shifts 3 Moving freight to more carbon-efficient modes of transport could reduce global freight transportation emissions by 3-4%. Shifting freight to lower-carbon modes of transport can reduce emissions3.1 Currently, a portion of goods is transported using high-emission modes such as road and air, even though less carbon-intensive alternatives such as rail and sea are available. Shifting even a small fraction of freight from road to rail or sea through AI-powered solutions could lead to significant emission reductions. For example, moving cargo from long-haul trucks to rail could reduce fuel consumption per mile for the same tonnage by up to 75%, while switching from air freight to sea could cut emissions by as much as 95% per kilometre for the same tonnage.25 Figure 4 demonstrates that even a modest shift in global freight volumes from high-carbon to low-carbon modes of transportation could result in approximately 195 billion kg of CO2 emission reductions. However, despite the clear environmental benefits, various structural and logistical barriers have prevented widespread adoption of more sustainable modes of transport. AI could play a meaningful role in overcoming these structural barriers and enhance decision-making processes around the type of transport used. Intelligent Transport, Greener Future: AI as a Catalyst to Decarbonize Global Logistics 16