​​​​​​​With clock ticking, sustainable transport key to Global Goals

The “clock is ticking connected our 2030 timeline” to execute the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Change Agreement, the caput of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Liu Zhenmin, said successful the foreword of Sustainable Transport, Sustainable Development.

‘Focused, planetary effort’

In mentation for the 2nd Global Sustainable Transport Conference, kicking disconnected connected Thursday successful the Chinese superior of Beijing and online, the caller study charts a guardant people to an integrated, sustainable attack towards making cities harmless and resilient, arsenic outlined successful SDG 11 .

“Two years into the UN Decade of Action for the SDGs, we indispensable admit that accelerated advancement is needed simultaneously crossed aggregate goals and targets”, Mr. Liu said.

As such, it is indispensable to marque “a focused, planetary effort” successful areas wherever determination are deep, systemic links crossed the economic, societal and biology dimensions of sustainable development, helium said, describing sustainable transport arsenic “one of these important areas”.

COVID impacts

The COVID-19 pandemic has acceptable backmost years of advancement towards eradicating poverty, ending hunger, empowering women, strengthening acquisition and improving nationalist health.

However, clime alteration has continued inexorably.

“Global mean temperatures successful 2020 were 1.2°C supra pre-industrial levels, inching perilously adjacent to the desired bounds of 1.5°C”, said the DESA chief.

The pandemic besides delayed the Transport Conference a twelvemonth and a fractional aboriginal than primitively planned.

Recovery from the pandemic volition springiness everyone a accidental to rethink rider and freight transport on with integrated solutions toward achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, according to the report.

Changing mindsets

Since the first Transport Conference, held 5 years agone successful Turkmenistan, determination has been an expanding appreciation of the value of sustainable transport successful a satellite linked ever person by globalization and digitalization.

“Transport is captious for promoting connectivity, trade, economical maturation and employment. Yet it is besides implicated arsenic a important root of greenhouse state emissions”, reminded Mr. Liu.

“Resolving these trade-offs are indispensable to achieving sustainable transport and, done that, sustainable development”.

The Sustainable Transport study upholds that, erstwhile appropriately applied, caller and emerging technologies are cardinal to solving galore pressing challenges by accelerating existing solutions, specified arsenic low-/zero-carbon vehicles and intelligent transport systems and creating caller fuel, powerfulness and integer infrastructures that mitigate harmful consequences.

“Innovations, driven by caller technologies, evolving user preferences and supportive policymaking, are changing the transport landscape”, acknowledged Mr. Liu.

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A shifting scene

While subject holds tremendous imaginable for transforming to sustainability, some caller technologies besides hazard further entrenching inequalities, imposing constraints circumstantial countries oregon presenting further challenges for the environment.

Therefore, they indispensable beryllium accompanied by measures to support and grow equitable entree to transport services arsenic good arsenic those that mitigate biology impacts crossed vehicles’ full merchandise cycle.

The study encourages Governments and planetary bodies to modulate the improvement and deployment of each caller transport technologies.

Landmark moment

Describing the upcoming Conference arsenic “a landmark infinitesimal for stakeholders from crossed the world”, the caput of DESA described it arsenic an accidental “to sermon challenges and opportunities, bully practices and solutions”.

The study was prepared by DESA successful collaboration with an extensive network of UN agencies, volition contiguous substantive inheritance to discussions and options for the mode forward.