For the urban transportation sector—one slice of the climate-change equation—the road to keeping below 1.5°C global warming involves both compact cities developed for walking, cycling and public transit, as well as a rapid and strategic transition to electrified vehicles.
This report details why these two policy changes, implemented in tandem, are necessary to lower cumulative greenhouse gas emissions from urban passenger transport by 59 gigatonnes (Gt) CO2-eq by 2050. This combination of policy changes would reduce the sector’s emissions by about 50% over the next 30 years, just below the amount needed to limit the impending damage that climate change can bring.
