20 January 2015
SLoCaT, BtG Evaluate Sustainable Transport at Lima Climate Change Conference
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According to a report by the Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT) and the Bridging the Gap (BtG) initiative, progress in sustainable transport at the Lima Climate Change Conference, in December 2014, ‘limped.' The report, which monitored transport-relevant negotiating areas, concludes that the mixed results reinforce the need for the global sustainable transport community to converge on key messages and activities relating to transport and climate change during 2015.

On positive developments in 2014, the report notes the establishment of the UN Secretary-General's High Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport, the inclusion of transport among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

slocat12 January 2015: According to a report by the Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT) and the Bridging the Gap (BtG) initiative, progress in sustainable transport at the Lima Climate Change Conference, in December 2014, ‘limped.’ The report, which monitored transport-relevant negotiating areas, concludes that the mixed results reinforce the need for the global sustainable transport community to converge on key messages and activities relating to transport and climate change in 2015.

The report, titled ‘Transport at COP20: Despite Limited Leaps, Lima Limps,’ assesses five areas addressed during the 20th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) through the lens of sustainable transport, namely: pre-2020 ambition; intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs); nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs); technology transfer; and climate finance.

It finds that, in relation to transport, inter alia: pre-2020 mitigation commitments fall short of potential; few NAMAs have received funding, with limited capacity in measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) acting as the main constraint; climate finance available from UNFCCC sources falls short of investments required for a shift to low-carbon transport; and public finance for adaptation strategies in transport systems remains limited.

On positive developments in 2014, the report notes the establishment of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport, the inclusion of transport among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and growing interest within the UNFCCC in engaging with non-State actors.

With its analysis of COP 20 and recommendations, the report seeks to provide a roadmap for the sustainable development community to promote a strong outcome in this area at COP 21, in late 2015. Messages for low-carbon land transport identified previously by the two initiatives include: decoupling development ambitions and transport choices; using “avoid-shift-improve” strategies for developing sustainable transport systems; and linking climate and development planning.

‘Transport at COP20′ is part of a series of reports on sustainable transport and the UNFCCC COPs, published by BtG and SLoCaT. The first report, ‘What’s Next? The Outcome of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen and its Implications for the Land Transport Sector,’ was published following COP 15, in January 2010.

COP 20 took place from 1-14 December 2014, in Lima, Peru. During COP 20, among other activities, SLoCaT and BtG organized Transport Day 2014. SLoCaT was established in 2009 and is a Type II Partnership. This multi-stakeholder partnership of over 80 organizations is hosted by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). [SLoCaT Press Release] [Publication: Transport at COP20: Despite Limited Leaps, Lima Limps] [IISD RS Coverage of Transport Day 2014] [IISD RS Story on UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Group]


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