UN experts and members of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport released an Outlook Report – “Mobilizing Sustainable Transport for Development”, which provides 10 recommendations on how governments, businesses and civil society should re-direct resources in the transport sector to advance sustainable development.
The report found that a transformational change to sustainable transport can be realised through annual investments of around USD 2 trillion, similar to the current ‘business as usual’ spending of USD 1.4 trillion to USD 2.1 trillion.
According to the experts, the investments in sustainable transport could lead to fuel savings and lower operational costs, decreased congestion and reduced air pollution. Additionally, it is estimated that efforts to promote sustainable transport can deliver savings of up to USD 70 trillion by 2050. A move to sustainable freight and passenger transport that includes integrated port terminals, well-planned airports and harmonized standards and regulations for efficient border crossings, could produce a global GDP increase by USD 2.6 trillion.
“Sustainable transport supports inclusive growth, job creation, poverty reduction, access to markets, the empowerment of women, and the well-being of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in the report’s foreword.
At present, the transport sector is responsible for approximately 23 per cent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, and 3.5 million premature deaths result from outdoor air pollution annually, mostly in low and middle income countries. About 10 to 15 per cent of food is lost during processing, transport and storage given a lack of modern facilities, trucks, access to refrigeration, and poor roads. Nearly one billion people worldwide still lack adequate access to road networks, which increase isolation and marginalization and deepen social inequities. Over 1.2 million people are killed annually in road traffic accidents, causing in addition to human loss and suffering, billions of dollars of associated costs which amount, in some countries, to 1-3 per cent of GDP.
The report was released two weeks ahead COP22 in Marrakech.
Photo: © ÖBB/Philipp Horak
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