Beyond the Road: Mitigating Emissions in Non-Road Vehicles and Stationary Engines

The transport sector is responsible for around 20% of black carbon (BC) emissions globally. The non-road machinery and stationary engines, such as those used in construction, agriculture, and power generation also contribute significantly to the emissions of BC, nitrogen oxide (NOx), and other harmful pollutants. These engines often run on lower quality fuels like diesel and high-sulfur fuels which are still common in many developed and developing countries. While emissions control systems have advanced significantly in road transport, their adoption of non-road machinery remains limited. As a result, construction sites continue to be major sources of air pollution, with diesel machinery posing public health risks, especially in densely populated cities and areas with high non-road activity or weak emissions regulations. (1, 2) With the growing market and improved emissions control for on-road vehicles, non-road) vehicles and engines emerge as a major contributor to the total sector emissions and air pollution. (3, 4)

Several regions around the world, led by the United States and the European Union, have implemented increasingly stringent performance-based emissions standards for non-road diesel engines and incorporated improved emission control technologies that produce less than 10% of the pollutants from their predecessors. At the same time, there are nascent initiatives for the deployment of zero-emission machinery, with some cities and regions beginning to introduce pilots and policy measures to accelerate their adoption. There are still some gaps that need to be addressed but ultimately, only a clear and consistent policy-based approach can bring these efforts together to ensure a coordinated transition towards cleaner non-road machinery.  

In this webinar, the CCAC HDVE Hub along with the City of Oslo, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), C40 Cities, and Swiss Contact (1) presented the importance of mitigating emissions from non-road mobile machinery and stationary engines; (2) highlighted the enabling environment for successful implementation; and (3) identified potential barriers and measures to address them.  

1. https://www.c40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/C40-Clean-Construction-Declaration-English.pdf
2. https://www.ccacoalition.org/sites/default/files/resources//2019_Global_health_impacts_transport_emissions.pdf
3. https://theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/Non-Road-Tech-Pathways_white-%20paper_vF_ICCT_20160915.pdf
4. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/documents/off-road-equipment-research?keywords=QUERY

Presentations

Resources 

• C40 Cities: Transportation
• City of Oslo: Construction
• ICCT: Off-Road Machinery
• ICCT: Zero-Emission Vehicles Events
• Programa Clima y Aire Limpio en Ciudades de América Latina – Plus (CALAC+)