The Center for Clean Air Policy is pleased to announce the release of the final draft of our paper, “Transportation NAMAs: A Proposed Framework.”  This paper discusses the importance of addressing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector in developing countries and suggests that supported NAMAs provide an important opportunity to truly transform the transportation sector in many countries. » Read more: CCAP paper – Transportation NAMAs: A Proposed Framework

Year 2009 can be considered very significant as climate change concerns in transport became the primary driver of the Sustainable Transport agenda. At the end of the year as deal at Copenhagen became just a “step forward” to hopefuls and a “dismal act” to many environmentalists, if we step back and analyze important developments in transport in Asia; we see many climate change initiatives pushing transport. The “other” important benefits seems to have taken the backseat and many in policy making and transport community started recognizing Transport as a key element in mitigating Climate Change. “Low Carbon Transport” became the mantra, which would decide the future course of transport for the next decade.

In this document, CAI-Asia presents selected news stories, relevant studies and other articles which summarize the best and worst of year 2009 from the transport perspective.

Full document can be accessed here: http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/article-73662.html

The World Bank has approved two Global Environment Facility (GEF) grants to fund clean energy transport in Mexican and Brazilian cities.

A US$5.38 million grant for cities in Mexico and a US$8.53 million grant for cities in Brazil were approved as part of the regional Sustainable Transport and Air Quality (STAQ) Project, which seeks to reduce the emission of air pollutants in several important Latin American cities, fostering long-term increases in the patronage of less energy intensive transport modes.

Participating cities were selected through a competition in which 47 cities from 12 countries in Latin America participated as part of the GEF’s STAQ Program implemented in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. [GEF Grant for Mexico][GEF Grant for Brazil]

Around 60 participants attended Side Event in COP15 on “Shaping the Future of Urban Transport”. The combined event of the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) and the Bridging the Gap Initiative discussed the manner in which a new global climate agreement can assist the developing world in strengthening transport related adaptation and mitigation efforts in their cities. The event contributes to the Partnership of Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport, which was set up in Bangkok in September 2009.
For more information see Bridging the Gap’s daily blog.

Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), will receive a $150 million Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan to help set up a sustainable urban transport system that will reduce transport time and costs, and cut harmful emissions of greenhouse gases.

The ADB Board of Directors approved the loan for the Lanzhou Sustainable Urban Transport Project. The centerpiece will be the establishment of a bus rapid transit system – marking the first ADB project to support an urban mass transport service.