More than 40 partners and supporting organisations join ITF for kick-off at global summit of transport ministers

The International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD today officially launched a major global initiative towards carbon-free transport. Transport activity currently contributes 23% of global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, with the share expected to rise.

“The COP 21 Paris Agreement created a political pathway for global CO2 mitigation efforts. The key is to close the gaps between commitments and delivery. It is now up to the transport sector to demonstrate how carbon-free mobility can be achieved. That is why we are launching today the Decarbonising Transport project”, said Secretary-General José Viegas at the project inauguration event during the Annual Summit of transport ministers in Leipzig, Germany.

“This is a very ambitious project. But ambition is what the world needs to stop climate change. Ambition is also something that has characterised the transport sector throughout its long history of innovation. Our challenge is to reduce transport CO2 without sacrificing the access and opportunities offered by transport, keeping our societies together and making our economies turn,“ said Viegas.

The Decarbonising Transport project aims to:

• Provide a common assessment tool based on a comprehensive modelling framework supported by dialogue with key stakeholders. This is essential for “clarity, transparency and understanding” of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions as required in the Paris Agreement for carbon emissions. This approach will enable the ITF and its partners to evaluate the impacts of different sets of measures on carbon reduction.
• Enable countries and other stakeholders to translate roadmaps into actions that deliver results grounded in quantitative data.
• Support actions to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals along with the decarbonisation of the transport sector.

The Decarbonising Transport project is supported by a wide range of stakeholders, including private sector companies, multilateral development banks, intergovernmental organisations, sector associations, NGOs and research institutions. It is anchored in the ITF’s Corporate Partnership Board, the organisation’s platform for discussions with the private sector.

“The inclusive nature of this project is a central feature and key factor for success of this project,” said Viegas. “It makes me proud that in only four months more than 40 partners and supporting organisations are committing to bringing knowledge, data, networks and financial contributions to the Decarbonising Transport project.
I welcome other organisations, companies and institutions to join.”

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) applauded the Decarbonising Transport initiative: “Governments must have the tools to understand whether or not policy is working as intended, and robust, responsive tools give policymakers a better sense of what can be accomplished. I welcome the launch of the Decarbonising Transport project. This common assessment tool […] should unite the transport sector worldwide in the push towards climate neutrality.”

European Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the Energy Union, also hailed the ITF initiative: “Our generation will be remembered as the one who made the giant leap in clean transport. The European Commission is driving the transition to a low-carbon mobility system, and I warmly welcome the support of the International Transport Forum in this undertaking. The transition to clean energy and mobility is in full swing, we should move fast. On the road to decarbonisation of transport there is no speed limit.”

The preliminary results of the project will be presented at the next ITF Summit in May 2017. The work will be completed by 2018/19, in time for the first round of reviews of the COP21 decarbonisation targets in 2020.

The partners and supporters of the Decarbonising Transport Partners are:

Aeromexico – Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) – Anheuser Busch InBev – Brisa Group – China Communications Constructions Company (CCCC) – Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) – COSCO Group – European Conference of Transport Research Institutes (ECTRI) – European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) – European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) -ExxonMobil – Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) – Ford – Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI) – Google – Here – IBM – Incheon Airport – INRIX – International Air Transport Association (IATA) – International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) – International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) – International Energy Agency (IEA) – International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) – International Federation of Pedestrians – International Association of Public Transport (UITP) – International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) – International Road Transport Union (IRU) – International Union of Railways (UIC) – The Institute for Transport and Development Policy (ITDP) – Kapsch TrafficCom AG – The Korea Transport Institute (KOTI) – Michelin – Nissan Motor Corporation – NXP – Organisation for Economic Co –operation and Development (OECD) – Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT) – POLIS Network – PTV Group – SNCF – Total – Transport & Environment – Uber – Union des Industries Ferroviaires Eurpoéennes (UNIFE) – United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – United Nations Commission for Europe (UNECE) – University of California, Davis – Venice Port Authority – Volvo Group – The World Bank – World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) – World Resources Institute (WRI) – Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy

For more information about the Decarbonising Transport project; please see http://www.itf-oecd.org/decarbonising-transport-itf-launches-major-new-project