Public Transport Sector Demonstrates Will to Act on Climate Change at New York Summit

The public transport sector demonstrated in front of international governments on Sept. 23, at the UN Climate Summit in New York, that it has both the will and the means to act on climate change.

The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) presented its initiative to double the market share of public transport worldwide by 2025. Meeting the doubling objective would spare the emission of 550 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent and support of the objectives of international climate negotiations, in developed and developing countries, despite the overall rise in trips made in urban areas.

Due to urbanization (54 percent of the world’s population now lives in cities) and economic growth, transport is expected to be the major driving force behind a growing world demand for energy, with energy use and greenhouse gas emissions predicted to rise by nearly 50 percent by 2030 in a ‘business as usual’ scenario.

UITP also presented pledges, commitments and actions from over 110 of its members to reduce emissions in public transport to the UN yesterday as part of a wider initiative from governments, transport companies and associations, private sector players and civil society organisations to expand public transport, provide more efficient rail transport and accelerate the introduction of urban electric transport.          

“The future of cities around the world looks bleak if we do not start taking action on climate change,” said Alain Flausch, UITP secretary general. “It’s not an impossible task and civil society and the public transport sector are ready to help governments meet the Kyoto objectives on the ground”.