Transport sector unites to launch global decarbonising project

The International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD has officially launched a major global initiative towards carbon-free transport.

“The COP 21 Paris Agreement created a political pathway for global CO2 mitigation efforts. The key is to close the gaps between commitments and delivery,” said Secretary-General José Viegas at the project inauguration event during the Annual Summit of transport ministers in Leipzig, Germany.

“It is now up to the transport sector to demonstrate how carbon-free mobility can be achieved. That is why we are launching today the Decarbonising Transport project.”

He added, “This is a very ambitious project. But ambition is what the world needs to stop climate change. Ambition is also something that has characterised the transport sector throughout its long history of innovation. Our challenge is to reduce transport CO2 without sacrificing the access and opportunities offered by transport, keeping our societies together and making our economies turn.”

The Decarbonising Transport project reportedly aims to provide a common assessment tool based on a “comprehensive modelling framework supported by dialogue with key stakeholders”.

This is said to be essential for “clarity, transparency and understanding” of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions as required in the Paris Agreement for carbon emissions.

The Decarbonising Transport project is supported by a wide range of stakeholders, including private sector companies, multilateral development banks, intergovernmental organisations, sector associations, NGOs and research institutions.

Partnering in the project are prominent names like Ford, Google, IBM, Michelin, Uber, The World Bank and Volvo Group, among many more.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), applauded the Decarbonising Transport initiative: “Governments must have the tools to understand whether or not policy is working as intended, and robust, responsive tools give policymakers a better sense of what can be accomplished. I welcome the launch of the Decarbonising Transport project. This common assessment tool […] should unite the transport sector worldwide in the push towards climate neutrality.”

Transport activity currently contributes 23 per cent of global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, with the share expected to rise.

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