The Impact of Urban Transport on Climate Change

Abstract:

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector play an important role in the climate change issue. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the transport sector have risen by the fastest rate in the past three decades. From 1990 to 2004, CO2 emissions from the transport sector alone rose by 36.5%. In developing countries, especially China, India, and other Asian countries, the change in lifestyles is driving people to increased automobile usage, As a consequence, demand for fossil fuels and automobile oriented infrastructure grows. This growth results inter alia in increasing GHG emissions and deteriorating ambient air quality.

The presentation will describe how action on transport can mitigate climate change by means of three types of actions (avoid- shift- improve) with five instruments (planning, regulatory, fiscal and economic, information and technological). The majority of those instruments can be implemented with medium-to-low costs. Moreover, some of the instruments can show immediate fiscal benefits for the city government while some provide intangible (co-)benefits in the long run such as reduced air pollution and congestion and increased livability. Specific examples of how these actions and instruments can be applied will be provided. GTZ SUTP has developed material related to this topic as part of its resources, and the impact of training and capacity development based on such material in improving sustainable urban transport policy and practice is also discussed.

Keywords: climate change, transport, sustainable urban transport, instruments