Can transport deliver GHG reductions at scale?

The transport sector accounted for nearly a quarter of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2011. With motorization expected to rapidly increase in the developing world, growing emissions from the transport sector could pose a serious challenge to global efforts to address climate change. In response, a variety of efforts and recommendations are either proposed or underway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This paper examines seven global transport initiatives to reduce emissions. The initiatives are among fifteen presented as part of the Paris Process on Mobility and Climate and the Lima-Paris Action Agenda—both platforms for mobilizing non-state actors under the auspices of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The initiatives include efforts in planning, non-motorized transport, public transport, freight, aviation, fuel economy, intelligent transport systems, and electric vehicles.