International Road Federation (IRF)

Established in 1948, IRF is a membership-based organisation, representing leading corporate and institutional players drawn from the road infrastructure sector worldwide. Its mission is to promote the development of roads and road networks that enable access and sustainable mobility for all. Its approach is centred on three key strategic components:

1. Knowledge transfer & information sharing;

2. Connecting people, businesses and organisations;

3. Policy & Advocacy.

Bridging the gap Cancun

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP16/COP6) took place in Cancún, Mexico, from 29 November to 11 December 2010. Contrary to the expectations of many there was considerable progress made by Parties at the conference, particularly in relation to Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), the verification of developing country mitigation actions through International Comparative Analysis (ICA), financing, technology transfer and capacity building.

Assessing Sustainability

Sustainable development balances environmental, social and economic objectives. Sustainable transport planning refers to transport policy analysis and planning practices that support sustainable development. This is important because transport policy and planning decisions can have diverse, long-term impacts.

Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system

The European Commission adopted a roadmap of 40 concrete initiatives for the next decade to build a competitive transport system that will increase mobility, remove major barriers in key areas and fuel growth and employment. At the same time, the proposals will dramatically reduce Europe’s dependence on imported oil and cut carbon emissions in transport by 60% by 2050.

By 2050, key goals will include:

Climate Instruments for the Transport Sector (CITS)

Climate Change Mitigation is expected to gain in importance in a new post 2012 Climate Agreement. This makes it increasingly relevant for the transport sector in developing countries to contribute to such mitigation efforts. Transport has not done well under the current CDM. This was partly due to the reason that the specific characteristics of the transport sector were not taken into consideration during the detailed design of CDM.