UN Environment responds to IPCC by highlighting innovation in transport

The release of the IPCC's latest report on the likelihood of keeping global warming to 1.5°C, and the associated impacts of climate change, has emphasised the need for urgent action in many sectors, including transport. The IPCC identified transport as a sector in need of rapid change, as it remains a growing contributor to carbon emissions and harmful air pollutants.

In light of this, UN Environment highlighted the need for increased innovation, improved law-making and increased awareness of the issues and solutions in the transport sector. It picked put a number of examples to demonstrate the efforts that are already being taken by private organisations and the public sector in order to offer inspiration to others in light of the rapid changes required. These include:

• Go-Ahead Group, a transport company based in the UK, released a bus designed with a filter for removing fine particles from the air, enabling buses to release cleaner air. Additionally, by 2037, all London buses will be zero-emission vehicles.
• The UK Government plans to ban new petrol and diesel cars from 2040 (a pledge also made by France), in an attempt to improve air quality and to reduce the number of early deaths caused by air pollution each year.
• Many cities, including Paris, Madrid and Athens, have pledged to ban the use of the most-polluting diesel vehicles by 2025.
• In Germany, industry is working to enhance the interoperability of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, through collaborating with bus operators to install charging infrastructure that works for multiple vehicle models produced by different bus manufacturers. 
• UN Environment's electric mobility programme supports the development of electric mobility through developing city or national-level strategies for a host of different authorities.

UN Environment will highlight the power of these innovations at the fourth UN Environment Assembly in March 2019, in order to encourage policy development and to showcase the need to manage climate change through a combination of awareness-raising, technological solutions and legislative action.

The full news article can be viewed here

(First issued by UN Environment on 15/10/2018).