German Federal Chancellor, Angela Merkel will deliver a keynote address at the Forum 2008.  Among the speakers,  are eminent industry leaders, such as Thomas Enders, CEO, Airbus; Thierry Morin, CEO, Valeo; leading academics like Professor Julia King, author of the recent report "The King Review on low carbon cars"; and key figures of international agencies such as Angel Gurriá, OECD Secretary General and Nobuo Tanaka, IEA Executive Director.

Every year, the International Transport Forum will focus on a topic of worldwide strategic importance. Securing energy supply and tackling climate change are currently the key challenges that the transport sector is faced with. For this reason, the topic of "Transport and Energy - the Challenge of Climate Change" will be on this year's agenda of the International Transport Forum (28 to 30 May 2008).

Erik van Agtmaal, Managing Partner of the Green Logistics Consultants Group, has been invited to speak at the Workshop Reducing CO₂ Emission in Goods transport. Other eminent participants are :

Innovative management and a dedication to sustainability have seen Sempre Avanti Consulting (SAC) become the first New Zealand Business to be registered on the United Nation’s Climate Neutral Network. The Network was established earlier this year as channel to highlight innovative carbon-neutral initiatives from around the world. It also acts as a forum for businesses to network ideas and strategies to help achieve real cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions.

SAC Consulting Manager Gordon Shaw says that the Network’s goals fit perfectly with the company’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability. “In 2006, we made it our goal to become a certified carbon neutral consulting practice within five years. Our first step was to join the carboNZero programme as a participant.
This meant measuring our carbon footprint, then making real changes in our business policies to help reduce it. “Seeing how much air travel contributed to our overall footprint was a real eyeopener. Now, wherever possible, we fly with airlines offering carbon offset programmes, as well as staying at environmentally sustainable hotels.

“Transport on the ground is another area where we are cutting emissions. Our vehicle purchasing policy now includes hybrid vehicles, Euro 4/5 standards, and the use of biofuels. Airport transfers are done using the most carbon efficient transport available, including trains, buses and hybrid vehicle taxi services. “Joining the Climate Neutral Network is a natural extension of our participation in carboNZero. With its focus on raising the global profile of business environmental sustainability, we believe the Network is the best place to get new ideas, share information and show the world our commitment to stemming the tide of climate change.

“We are passionate about our sustainability practices—green is good. I urge other New Zealand businesses to show their commitment to the environment by participating in programmes like the Climate Neutral Network.”

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