NEW YORK – The United Nations Climate Summit on Tuesday announced four global transport initiatives that would put the transport sector on a new track.
The initiatives would lead to a low-carbon future and save trillions of dollars in fuel costs in the process.
This is contained in statement released by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, at the one-day summit on climate change in New York.
It stated that the initiative would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase the number of new bus, metro lines, number of electric vehicles and introduce car and bike sharing.
According to the statement, the shift to sustainable, low-carbon transport by the middle of the century can save governments, companies and individuals up to 70 trillion dollars.
“The shift can prevent greenhouse gas emissions by transport from doubling by the middle of the century and achieve the internationally agreed goal of a maximum two degrees Celsius rise in global average temperature.
Transport, it added, contributes about one quarter of energy-related global greenhouse gas emissions and about one fifth of energy use.
Under a “business as usual” model, the statement added, energy use and green gas emissions were projected to rise by nearly 50 per cent by 2030 and even more after.
It added that the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI), launched at the summit, would increase the number of electric vehicles in cities to least 30 per cent annual by 2030. [eap_ad_1] It stated that the plan was supported by private companies, including Michelin, one of the largest tire manufacturers in the world as well as UN-Habitat.
On railway, it stated that the International Union of Railways (UIC) with 240 members launched the Low-Carbon Sustainable Rail Transport Challenge to promote the use of rails for freight and transport.
Also, International Association of Public Transport (UITP) Declaration on Climate Leadership, will bring 1,300 member organisations from 92 countries to provide access to climate-savvy public transportation for those living in cities.
It stated that governments under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) promised to step up commitment to reach the industry’s long-term existing global goal to halve net CO2 emissions by 2050 compared to 2005 levels.
The ICAO, it stated, was supporting the development of sustainable alternative fuels for aviation.
It stated that the organisation was partnering with others to develop a global CO2 standard for new aircraft and to implement a global measure for international aviation from 2020 onward. (NAN)
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