Transport in the global context

Greenhouse gas emissions caused by the transport sector, currently over 13% of the global total, are rapidly rising in both developed and developing countries. Abating these will require shifts in travel patterns and technology, and to achieve this strong policies are needed – which in turn may create co-benefits for air quality, congestion reduction, road safety and supply security.

ECN believes that low-carbon development provides a useful framework for looking at transport in an integrated manner, which has proven essential for effective policy making. It seeks to identify and analyse transport solutions with development and climate benefits. Thereby it can be a basis for articulating international climate support needs on finance, technology and capacity building. For example through nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs). This may help the transport sector, which has so far not received sufficient attention in international climate policy, in its ambition to contribute to sustainable development goals. More in our view on transport and low-carbon development, and the research and technical support we offer in this context.

We are a member of the Partnership for Sustainable, Low-Carbon Transport

Ongoing and recent projects

• TRANSfer, funded by the International Climate Initiative and implemented by GIZ, aims to help nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) in the transport sector. It develops a Handbook ‘Navigating Transport NAMAs’ based on concrete NAMA proposals in Colombia, South Africa and Indonesia, with ECN assisting the latter. Read more
• The T-MAPPER project, commissioned by DG-ClimA, gives a comprehensive evaluation of 1) transport emission reduction policies in countries outside Europe and 2) European and international support mechanisms that can be used to promote climate change mitigation of the transport sector in non-EEA countries.
• The Climate Instruments for the Transport Sector study, commissioned by the Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, in support of the SLoCaT Partnership, analyses the potential of the CDM, Global Environment Facility, the Clean Technology Fund and NAMAs to support climate-friendly transport in developing countries. It includes four case studies in Asian and Latin American cities.
• In the CURB-AIR project, commissioned by EuropeAid, research and capacity building for using the Clean Development Mechanism to improve urban air quality was carried out. It includes three case studies related to transport in Asian cities.
• For research on electricity and hydrogen in transport, please click here.

Publications

• T-MAPPER: Transport Measures And Policies to Promote Emission Reductions. April 2011
• Making climate instruments work for sustainable transport in developing countries. November 2010
• Applicability of post 2012 climate instruments to the transport sector. August 2010
• Methodological guidelines for a mitigation potential study in the transport sector in Colombia. June 2009
• The clean development mechanism and & urban air pollution: a handbook for policymakers. January 2008
• CDM and biofuels. Can the CDM assist biofuel production and deployment? October 2006

More information

For more information please contact Marc Londo.