Reviewing nationally determined contributions: opportunities for more ambitious transport actions in Africa and Asia
This policy note provides 4 recommendations for including more ambitious transport targets and measures in NDCs
Abstract
The COVID-19 crisis has revealed how vulnerable our societies and economies are to systemic risks, not just pandemics. Climate change remains one of the main, if not the main, systemic threats to the world. As the fastest growing source of GHG emissions, transport plays a crucial role in the global low carbon transition. Despite the global economic downturn and the disruptive “new normality” that will likely follow the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s demand for transport is still expected to grow exponentially. Socio-economic dynamics in Africa and Asia will be central in driving this dramatic change. Unless African and Asian LMICs introduce plans for transformative changes in their transport sectors, the risk of underachieving the Paris climate targets and, with it, the SDGs remains very high.
However, an analysis of transport measures in submitted NDCs reveals that they currently lack the ambition and comprehensiveness required to avoid dangerous levels of climate change. This is why, as African and Asian countries revise their NDCs during this historic moment, they must put forward bold transport mitigation targets and measures.
This policy note provides 4 recommendations for including more ambitious transport targets and measures in NDCs:
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Include transport-specific GHG mitigation targets, in line with the 1.5ºC goal of the Paris Agreement;
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Include comprehensive, balanced, equitable and ambitious transport measures;
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Incorporate climate change adaptation and resilience for transport systems with specific targets, plans and measures;
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Align national financing and investment strategies to the decarbonisation and resilience of transport systems.
This is an output of the High Volume Transport Applied Research Programme
Citation
Petrarulo, L (2020) Reviewing nationally determined contributions: opportunities for more ambitious transport actions in Africa and Asia. Available from: http://transport-links.com/download/reviewing-nationally-determined-contributions-opportunities-for-more-ambitious-transport-actions-in-africa-and-asia/
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