The past two years have been enormously frustrating for those of us in the US who believe that climate change really is an existential issue, including those of us in the transport planning world who believe we should keep it at the center of our work. The current US administration has enthusiastically halted all the slow progress we have made in transport policy reform and is going full speed in reverse. I see too many signs of resignation, apathy, and even – in some places – capitulation in response to these destructive policies.
A new United Nations report should stir even the faint hearted back to action. “Limiting overshoot: Navigating exceedance of 1.5°C and pathways towards return” (report available here, a good summary here) lays out the blunt but unsurprising truth that the world is not going to meet the climate change mitigation goals adopted by the world’s leaders a few years ago. And, folks, that means that things are going to get a whole lot worse before they (maybe) get better. Some of the negative consequences of global warming may be irreversible, so getting back to “normal” may not even be achievable. And all the ambitious strategies worked out a few years ago won’t be enough to stabilize the situation, let alone improve it.
Still, we are not helpless. In the transport sector, the old answers are still the right answers: mitigation and adaptation.
The report calls for the “immediate implementation of measures that reduce
global GHG emissions and slow the rate of warming,” followed by “sustained and deep decarbonisation towards net-zero emissions” and “sustained net-negative CO₂ emissions to reduce climate hazards.”
Guidance for the transport sector is unfortunately not very specific, but one key recommendation is to deploy “low-carbon” technologies to “lock in long-term emission reductions while avoiding new carbon-intensive infrastructure.” I interpret this to mean: Electrify the transport sector! Stop adding freeway miles! Build transit and walkable/bikeable communities instead! Solid advice for us all. Lots more work to do.
