Commercial, Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions - November 18, 2022
Union Pacific Sets 2050 Goals
Union Pacific Railroad outlined its long-term strategies to reduce GHG emissions and achieve net zero by 2050.
“Last year, we embarked on a journey to improve our environmental footprint and build a more sustainable economy for generations to come,” said Beth Whited, executive vice president – Sustainability and Strategy and chief human resource officer in a statement. “Our mission continues, and we remain committed to finding and embracing bold solutions to address climate change and achieve net-zero emissions.”
Since the publication of its first Climate Action Plan in 2021, Union Pacific has taken steps to reduce its environmental impact, including increasing use of low-carbon fuels and reducing fuel consumption by more than 11 million gallons in 2021 compared with 2020.
Union Pacific also reaffirmed its commitment to reach net-zero GHG emissions. Last month, Union Pacific joined the Business Ambition for 1.5°C, an alliance of more than 3,000 companies pledged to taking bold action to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
In 2022, Union Pacific also conducted an extensive climate scenario analysis to better understand the hypothetical impacts of climate change on its operations, infrastructure, supply chains and customers under both high- and low-carbon future scenarios. The analysis is being used to evaluate and develop potential strategies that address both future risks and opportunities arising from climate change.
During 2021, Union Pacific continued modernizing its locomotive fleet by upgrading 120 older units. These modernizations not only improve locomotive reliability but make each unit up to 5% more fuel efficient and emit approximately 53% less emissions.
In 2022, Union Pacific announced the largest-ever investment in modernized locomotives in rail industry history: an agreement with Wabtec Corporation for 600 locomotive modernizations, worth more than $1 billion.
Union Pacific announced plans to purchase North America’s largest carrier-owned fleet of battery-electric locomotives for testing in freight yard operations and are piloting this technology in its early adoption phase to better understand how it could be deployed at scale in operations.
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