17 April 2012: The World Economic Forum (WEF) released a report on scaling up existing sustainable transportation technologies to improve sustainability and achieve carbon emission reduction targets while enhancing potential for job creation and long-term economic growth.

The report, titled “Sustainable Transportation Ecosystem – Addressing Sustainability from an Integrated Systems Perspective,” was produced in cooperation with the consulting firm A.T. Kearney. It was launched in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, at the opening of World Economic Forum on Latin America.

The report offers guiding principles for achieving environmental sustainability in transportation across the five dimensions of policy, financing, energy sources, infrastructure and end-customer information. These principles are targeted at various stakeholder groups, namely: policy makers; original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers; energy suppliers, such as utilities; service providers, such as airlines, vehicle rental agencies, logistics companies; end customers; financial institutions and investors; academia; industry associations; and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The report calls on policy makers to analyze sustainable transportation technologies from a systems perspective, phase out fossil fuel subsidies, incentivize sustainable fuel sources and power generation, ensure that clear, complete information on sustainability and costs is available to all users, and incentivize demand and supply of plug-in electric vehicles through both financial and non-financial incentives. For financial institutions and investors, the report suggests incorporating long-term environmental, social and governance factors when measuring performance, setting investment criteria and formulating corporate strategy on transportation investments.

Together with the report, the WEF also formally launched an online catalogue of global initiatives on aviation biofuels, in part to illustrate an existing sustainable transportation technology that, once scaled up, can help cut carbon dioxide, create jobs and spur economic growth. At the catalogue launch, WEF officials pointed to an example in Mexico where the national airport authority, Airports and Auxiliary Services (ASA), is promoting the production and use of aviation biofuels not only to cut plane emissions, but to spur agricultural production in rural areas. [WEF Press Release] [Publication: Sustainable Transportation Ecosystem – Addressing Sustainability from an Integrated Systems Perspective] [WEF Online Catalogue on Aviation Biofuels]