International Association of Public Transport (UITP) members will declare and commit to demonstrate ‘climate leadership’ and make a voluntary commitment to reduce emissions/strengthen climate resilience within their city/region in support of UITP’s goal to achieve a doubling in the market share of public transport worldwide by 2025.
High-Impact Area: Transportation
Problem Statement: If current trends towards private motorisation prevail, cities will become increasingly gridlocked and in 2025 worldwide urban transport GHG emissions will be 30% higher than 2005 levels. Public transport offers a solution in that it provides an energy-efficient way of transporting large numbers of people, keeping cities fluid and consuming on average 3-4 times less energy per passenger per than private vehicles.
Objective: UITP’s initiative aims to demonstrate the public transport’s leadership position at the UN Climate Summit by highlighting our member’s efforts that will help reduce city emissions and build competitive cities, hugely improving the quality of people’s lives while stimulating a low carbon economy. It also aims to support UITP’s goal to achieve a doubling in the market share of public transport worldwide by 2025. This massive shift to public transport would prevent the emission of half a billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in the year 2025. This would mean that urban transport emissions would be in line with the objectives of the international climate negotiations despite the massive overall increase in the number of trips made in urban areas.
Going Forward:
- 7-9 May: Commitments sought at the Sustainable Development Commission, London
- 21/23 May: ITF to do further informal consultations, Leipzig
- May – September: Ongoing communication with UITP thematic and regional commissions and committees, as well as with all UITP member contacts
- Leadership Group: Alain Flausch, UITP Secretary General and Gunnar Heipp, Director for strategic planning, Munich and UITP Sustainable Development Commission Chairman
- UITP Membership: Commitments will be sought from UITP’s 1,300 member companies from 92 countries. Our members are public transport authorities and operators, policy-makers, research institutes and the public transport supply and service industry (such as major bus, train and infrastructure companies).
International Association of Public Transport, Philip Turner; philip.turner@uitp.org
– Presentation “UITP Declaration and Commitments on Climate Leadership” by Philip Turner