World leaders who gathered in New York during Climate Week NYC sought commitments and concrete actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and they were told that substantial progress has been made in lowering the carbon footprint of diesel technology, a technology that powers 15 sectors of the global economy.

“Making progress on global climate commitments requires a mix of proven and existing technologies, working alongside new technologies,” said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. “Among these must be the new generation of diesel power.”

When coupled with low-sulphur diesel fuels, the newest generation of diesel power is more efficient and reduces greenhouse gas emissions – both carbon dioxide as well as black carbon emissions. Alternative fuels and forms of energy, such as electrification, are not always practical for many cities and countries.

“The diversity of needs around the world for energy, expanding economic capacity and delivering essential public services is substantial,” said Schaeffer. “Diesel power provides the critical means for both developing and developed countries to meet these basic needs in construction, emergency services, goods transport, farming and power generation.”

Diesel powers one out of every two sectors in the global economy. At work on the streets, on job sites, and in farm fields, mines and beyond, greenhouse gas emissions reductions are not a prospective goal, but a daily reality, driven by the increased use of more advanced diesel engines, vehicles and equipment around the globe.

Tackling climate change is a big challenge that requires many solutions, and diesel power is delivering: 

• 59 million tons of CO2 eliminated through the use of the latest generation of clean diesel trucks on the road in the US since 2011.
• 10 tons of CO2 saved by a single, new Class 8 diesel truck in one year, relative to previous generations of technology. Between 2016 and 2017, the US experienced a 6 percent increase in purchases of new-generation diesel-powered commercial trucks.
• 1 billion tons of CO2 expected to be reduced in the US from the use of more fuel-efficient commercial trucks between 2021 and 2027, when more stringent fuel economy standards for trucks are phased in. Diesel is expected to be the primary power for these vehicles.
• More American drivers are choosing bigger vehicles like pickups and SUVs. If every full-size pickup sold were a diesel, we could eliminate the same amount of CO2 as if 15 percent of all cars on the road today were EVs.
• The City of San Francisco eliminated 63,000 tons of CO2 in a year by powering 606 diesel buses with renewable diesel fuel.
• 17 million tons of black carbon emissions will be eliminated between 2000 and 2030, according to the state of California, from the rollout of clean diesel trucks and equipment.
• By 2030 black carbon emissions attributable to diesel engines will almost be eliminated in California, thanks to the introduction of the newest generation of diesel technology, not due to fuel switching or diesel replacement.
• Use of renewable diesel fuel – not electrification or natural gas – in California is the primary means by which the state is achieving its low carbon fuel mandates, as well as its progress toward the global climate action plan.

“Fortunately, established technologies like diesel are not standing still,” said Schaeffer. “Thanks to continuous improvement in efficiency and performance, the newest generation of diesel engine – when deployed in conjunction with ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel – offers a proven, cost-effective, energy-efficiency, near-zero-emission power choice. New renewable diesel and biodiesel fuel options – drop-in replacements for conventional fossil-based diesel – mean that the newest diesel technologies can cut greenhouse gasses and other emissions even further.”