Closing Comments
Jane Amilhat, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Torsten Klimke, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport
Victoria Sheehan, Transportation Research Board, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Firas Ibrahim, U.S. Department of Transportation
CLOSING COMMENTS FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Jane Amilhat and Torsten Klimke
Jane Amilhat provided closing comments from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. She thanked participants for their excellent ideas and robust discussions. She noted the alignment between the European Union and the United States in many of the priorities for decarbonizing the transportation sector. Similarities in priorities related to technology, electrification, the need for social science research, and the importance of equity and resiliency were described by participant from both the European Union and the United States.
According to Amilhat, the list of research and innovation topics discussed will be very beneficial for both the European Union and the United States. She noted that the symposium results will enhance cooperation between the European Union and the United States and can be used to help develop sessions at future conferences and meetings, as well as hosting joint workshops focusing on specific topics.
She further noted that the topics will be of benefit in the development of the next EU research and innovation agenda. She acknowledged that there is still work to be done developing methods for the European Union and the United States to foster collaboration on research projects, including possible joint sponsorship.
Torsten Klimke provided closing comments for the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport. Noting the robust discussion on wide-ranging topics, Klimke stressed the benefit of the symposium to the European Union. He noted that the results will help strengthen collaborative activities between the European Union and the United States. In addition, he said that the European Union is looking forward to hosting the next symposium in 2025 and building on the success of this meeting.
CLOSING COMMENTS FROM THE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
Victoria Sheehan
Victoria Sheehan provided closing comments from the Transportation Research Board. Sheehan agreed that turning research into action was a key focus to bring about transformative change. She noted that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is working collectively on research and information sharing on climate change and decarbonization. The NAS Climate Crossroads initiative is taking advantage of the expertise across the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. In addition to the Transportation Research Board (TRB), she highlighted the opportunities for collaboration with experts throughout NAS. She encouraged participants to reach out to TRB staff to assist with any connections.
Sheehan invited participants to attend the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, on January 5–9, 2025. A special session could be organized to highlight the symposium results. Other meetings could also be organized to share information and help turn research into practice. In closing, Sheehan thanked participants for their active engagement.
CLOSING COMMENTS FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Firas Ibrahim
Firas Ibrahim provided closing comments from the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT). He reminded participants that climate change cannot be solved in a day. It will take time to achieve the goal of zero emissions. It will require everyone to participate. Public outreach is needed to present the importance and the science of the issues and to communicate why actions are needed. He stressed the need to solve these issues together. He challenged participants to think of the one thing they will do differently to help reach the zero-emissions goal, based on what they learned at the symposium. He also urged participants to think big on ways to decarbonize the transportation sector and to continue the relationships developed at the symposium and explore opportunities for collaboration. He further challenged participants to be inspired with the energy and commitment fostered at the symposium to address climate change. He noted that U.S. DOT is committed to being a strong partner in addressing decarbonization within all aspects of the transportation sector.
