By Chris Grundler, Senior Advisor to the Crux Alliance, and former Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality at the Environmental Protection Agency.
It’s September, which means thousands from around the world will be in New York City for Climate Week. The Crux Alliance will be in town as well, with leaders and experts from our climate policy centers. Crux is co-hosting two events this year on Energy Justice and the Future of Climate and Global Strategies for Bus Electrification. I interviewed Clarisse Cunho Linke, Country Director in Brazil for Alliance member Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), who will speak at the bus electrification event.
Clarisse, what brought you to this work?
My entry into the work I do today has two key bases.
I have been involved with civil society since 2000, driven by a deep interest in how it can be a force for change—whether by inspiring leadership or holding various players accountable. The stark inequality that permeates every aspect of life in Brazil is impossible to ignore. I have long believed that we are amid interconnected crises—ecological, social, and economic. This understanding led me to dedicate myself to working from a civil society perspective.
My journey in mobility began in Mozambique and later Namibia, where I focused on bicycles as both a tool for women’s empowerment and a support mechanism in the HIV/AIDS response across Sub-Saharan Africa. This work led me to connect with ITDP. For the last 12 years, I have been leading urban mobility efforts for ITDP’s program in Brazil.
Why is public transportation a critical climate solution?
Public transport significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing the number of individual vehicles on the road. When people opt for collective public transport, fuel consumption per capita drops, leading to lower carbon emissions and reduced air pollution.
Public transport supports compact urban development by encouraging higher-density living and reducing urban sprawl. This, in turn, encourages walking and cycling, which minimizes the need for extensive infrastructure and energy use, contributing to more resilient, climate-friendly communities.
Additionally, most people in lower- and middle-income countries either walk or use public transport. But as income levels increase, a shift to private transport typically occurs. It is crucial that we improve transit, walking, and cycling services and infrastructure to avoid this shift.
ITDP has a long history supporting policymakers in Brazil—what has been the focus of your work, and how has it evolved over time?
In Brazil, ITDP promotes sustainable and equitable transport globally. Our mission is to minimize the impacts of climate change and air pollution while ensuring safe and accessible transport for all. Under my leadership, we have achieved significant milestones at both the city and federal levels. Initially, our focus was on Brazil’s largest cities—Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Belo Horizonte—where the potential for GHG abatement was highest. We collaborated with these cities on initiatives including BRT planning and implementation, cycling policies and infrastructure expansion, parking reform, and road space redistribution. As opportunities arose, we expanded our work to additional cities, such as Recife, Fortaleza, Brasília, Sorocaba, Uberlândia, and Niterói.
Our scope of work is broad, encompassing providing technical assistance to cities, developing methodologies and indicators, delivering capacity-building programs, training media, supporting land-use reform, and advocating for increased infrastructure funding. We have connected our work to new agendas, such as housing, where we revised federal guidelines for the National Housing Program, expanding access to opportunities and mitigating the marginalization of low-income communities. Today, our main priorities include advancing the transition to electric buses, a movement gaining momentum in Brazil, and promoting low-emission zones in city centers. Over the years, our approach has evolved to embrace integrated agendas within the transport debate, such as early childhood development, women’s access to the city, and antiracist mobility.
Brazil has been an early adopter of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, now operating in 21 Brazilian cities. What have been the benefits of this impressive result, and how did ITDP contribute?
The journey of BRT systems in Brazil has seen its share of ups and downs, driven by the dynamic and often politicized nature of urban transport. However, the adoption of BRTs has notably increased the number of people living near reliable transit options. After decades of disinvestment in public transport overall, and high migration to private vehicles, investment in BRTs over the last decade and a half has brought public transport back into the spotlight. The widespread shift toward private vehicle use was once seen as the only option, with little discussion around public transport as a more efficient, climate-friendly, and equitable solution. Today, however, public demand for robust public transport systems has swelled. At ITDP, one of our core missions is to promote clean public transport, and we are committed to helping cities deliver effective solutions that meet their most urgent needs.
This May, the government announced plans to spend $8.8 billion on new electric buses, and ITDP published a guide on solutions to electrify public transportation… a coincidence? Can you talk about the significance of these two milestones, and if they are related?
Since 2013, we have been collaborating with the federal government to drive the effective implementation of the National Urban Mobility Policy. When Lula’s administration announced plans to fund electric bus fleets, we immediately engaged with the Ministry of Cities to ensure two things: that the federal government recognized and would support the high demand from cities, and that cities were equipped to manage this transition. This is not just about replacing vehicles; it involves building new infrastructure, engaging new players—like the energy sector—and addressing the diverse needs of over 5,000 cities across Brazil, which together operate a fleet of 105,000 buses.
Many cities have poor neighborhoods that lack adequate infrastructure and where residents are disproportionately exposed to emissions. Prioritizing these areas is crucial. We are also navigating new business models for the sector, redefining roles and responsibilities between the public and private sectors. ITDP has positioned itself at the center of this effort, connecting different stakeholders within the ecosystem, identifying bottlenecks and opportunities, and equipping cities with the technical capacity to quickly procure electric buses through existing funding programs.
ITDP will be co-hosting an event at New York Climate Week on September 24 titled Charging Ahead: Global Strategies for Bus Electrification. What can you tell us about it?
I plan to discuss how the process we’re witnessing in Brazil highlights the immense challenge we face and its lessons for other countries. As I mentioned, the transition isn’t just about adopting new vehicle technology; it’s about seizing the opportunity to overhaul a public transport system that has been losing passengers and priority in our cities. This is our chance to revitalize public transport as a cornerstone of a just transition, aligning environmental, economic, and social justice objectives.
