3 December 2015: Participants at the ‘Focus on Transport’ event launched ten transport-climate action initiatives and agreed on the ‘Paris Declaration on Electro-Mobility and Climate Change & Call to Action.’ The event convened as part of the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPPA) at the sidelines of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC.

Transportation has the highest growth of carbon dioxide emissions of any industrial sector, according to the UNFCCC. The initiatives announced at the Paris Climate Change Conference aim to reduce transport-related carbon dioxide emissions by 50% by 2050 compared to a “transport-as-usual” scenario.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), International Energy Agency (IEA), Michelin Nissan-Renault, Tesla Motors and other actors launched the Paris Declaration. It builds on commitments from governments, companies and associations to support sustainable transport electrification.

The Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI), launched by UNEP, IEA, the FIA foundation and the International Transport Forum (ITF) will bring together 65 countries to develop policies and regulations on vehicle energy efficiency, with the aim of doubling fuel efficiency in vehicles by 2050 and contributing to a cumulative reduction of 30 gigatons of carbon dioxide by 2050.

The Global Green Freight Action Plan, under the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), aims to provide a global framework to reduce carbon dioxide, black carbon and other emissions in the freight sector by 2025. The initiative has over fifty partners, including thirteen new countries that have committed to establish a green freight initiative. In an open letter, signatories to the Global Green Freight Action Plan recognize challenges faced by the growing freight transport sector, including its growing emissions of both carbon dioxide and air pollutants, and express their commitment to take actions to reduce their emissions and to transform the global freight sector into a more efficient, sustainable one. Among their planned 2016 activities, participants in the Plan will work to further develop a methodology to account for black carbon and carbon dioxide.

‘MobilizeYourCity’ aims to support 100 cities and 20 developing and emerging countries to develop and implement National Urban Transport Policies and Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans by 2020. Each participating city has committed to achieve a 50-75% reduction in urban transport related emissions by 2050. The initiative will launch a pilot phase in 2016 in 20 cities in 13 countries across Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) announced actions under the ‘Collaborative Action Across the Air Transport World.’ ICAO has received 74 action plans to implement mitigation measures in the aviation industry, which account for 80.6% of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to the UNFCCC. ATAG will implement programs to increase operational efficiency in the air and on the ground and work to identify alternative energy sources.

Additional initiatives announced at the Transport Event include the: Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Alliance; C40 Clean Bus Declaration; Worldwide Taxis Initiative; Low Carbon Rail Transport Challenge by the International Union of Railways (UIC); the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) Declaration on climate leadership; and the Airport Carbon Accreditation Initiative. [UN Press Release] [UNFCCC Press Release] [Letter from Global Green Freight leaders] [Global Green Freight Action Plan] [IISD RS Coverage of COP 21]