There's still a clear recipe for urban transport and climate action

This year’s COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference confirmed that we have already the ingredients to the transport decarbonisation agenda, suggests Martina Juvara, reporting from the event. She believes a compelling recipe for action clearly emerged amongst the leading transport organisations present, and could be seen in the plans of the host city

The discussions at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, that have just ended, did not introduce new or groundbreaking ideas to the decarbonisation of transport, but instead representatives from agencies and organisations in the sector used existing concepts to shape a straightforward implementation framework.

Amongst them, Juan Carlos Muñoz, Chile’s Minister of Transport and Telecommunications and current president of the International Transport Forum (ITF), presented a five-step “recipe” to address urban mobility challenges in a quantifiable way:

1. Consider population growth: more people mean more transport demand; this must be incorporated into strategic planning.

2. Reduce the need to travel:v by adopting strong policies and implementing the actions needed to minimise the number of trips people need to make.

3. Shorten the length of all trips: by promoting proximity and shortening their length for example by embedding 15-minute city principles (even if not explicitly named). 

4. Maximise energy efficiency per kilometre per passenger: Prioritise active travel, such as walking and cycling, and public transport for their high energy efficiency.

5. Decarbonise energy use: Only after the above steps, focus on reducing emissions per unit of energy through electrification and alternative fuels.

This logical progression highlights the importance of prioritising systemic changes before focusing on the magic bullet of technology. In my own view, an additional step might be beneficial. Between steps three and four, planners should prioritise proximity and space- efficient systems to reduce urban congestion, make cities more affordable, and allow for the rebalancing of green spaces.

This will provide a better and more comprehensive approach than simply focusing on electric vehicles.

Funding transport action through NDC contributions

The original COP 21 2015 Paris Agreement, and last year’s Global Stocktake on Mitigation (GST), emphasised the urgency for nations to strengthen their climate vpledges (Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs) by spring 2025. During

COP29, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a new bold target for the UK: reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 81% from 1990 levels by 2035 (see LTT 903). While details remain scarce, it’s pretty evident that urban transport decarbonisation will need to play a pivotal role, and we still await a full policy commitment and road map for implementation.

It is likely that urban transport will feature as a critical component of many countries’ NDCs. This it is believed will unlock new funding streams, especially for cities in wealthier nations, as it could represent a cost effective win-win way to fulfil these pledges.

Several modal-representative transport organisations have stepped up to facilitate this process by providing templates and guidance for integrating their own transport offers into NDCs.

At Baku they included Lucie Anderton of the International Union of Railways (uic.org/ events/IMG/pdf/rail_ndc_ template_v6.pdf); Mohamed Merghani of the Union Internationale de Transport Public (Public transport national determined contributions template | UITP); and Jill Warren of the EU Cyclists’ Federation and PATH (PATH-Active-travel- NDC-template-080524.pdf); and of course the International Transport Forum itself (Guide to Integrating Transport into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) | ITF). 

These tools aim to illustrate that urban transport decarbonisation plans can be counted as part of the NDCs if they can be made specific, time-bound, and, where needed, conditional on funding.

Quick wins and persistent challenges

But where should investments in transport decarbonisation go first? The consensus in Baku points to public transport and freight electrification. Public transport, particularly e-buses, can be incentivised to achieve a significant modal share with an investment that is still reasonable, accelerating the vehicle replacement cycle , while electrifying freight offers a high Continued from previous page return on investment due to the vehicles’ frequent use. These sectors are easier to facilitate at scale than private transportation, and can deliver faster emission reductions.

However, two major challenges persist:

1. Proximity and urban planning: Achieving a reduced need to travel requires a fundamental shift in local planning. Compact cities with accessible amenities must become the standard. The forthcoming UK revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) could mandate proximity and compactness as core criteria for local plans.

2. Resilience to extreme weather: Recent floods in Valencia in Spain highlighted the importance of resilience. During the crisis, walking and cycling were the only viable modes of transport, underscoring the need for robust, low-tech solutions in emergencies. Securing essential movement and supply chains must be a priority, and global adaptation indicators, due to be presented by COP30, will play a key role in this regard.

Funding the global action needed

International climate-related finance remains a scary commitment for developed nations, with commitments that were always difficult to fulfil now tripled under the eleventh hour deal made in Baku.

With a central focus on climate finance, COP29 saw the nearly 200 countries reach an agreement that raises finance from developed to developing countries to address decarbonisation, from the previous goal of USD 100 billion annually, to USD 300 billion annually by 2035. This is a huge commitment: the UK for instance only pledge to contribute £11.6bn across a period of 5 years. A further USD 1 trillion is to be mobilised through various financial instruments. This did not satisfy everyone in the Global South, however, as the scale of the real costs keeps getting bigger.

The UK, nevertheless, has once again stepped up and aimed for leadership through its own ambitious emission reduction targets and clear presence in the COP proceedings. Commitments like these signal the importance of taking bold steps, even as funding international climate action lags seriously behind.

By next year’s COP30, the global community will need to agree measurable indicators for progress on adaptation and resilience. Specialists from all sectors are invited to contribute ideas to the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) indicators workstream. As these discussions evolve, cities like Baku remind us of the transformative power of local action (see panel below) when paired with ambitious national and international goals.

Baku: a model city for COP29?

Baku, Azerbaijan, left a strong impression on the attendees of COP29. The city’s blend of historical charm and striking new landmarks was evident in its walkable streets, tree-lined avenues, and green squares that date back to its 19th-century expansion. The photo opportunities of instantly recognisable new buildings include Zaha Hadid’s Haydar Aliev Cultural Centre and the Flame Towers. Surrounding its well-preserved walled city, Baku also showcased a modern network of COP29-dedicated bus lanes—a tangible legacy for the city’s planned future mobility.

The city’s ambitious 2040 Master Plan underscores a commitment to sustainability. It includes goals such as full electrification of public transport, the development of 100 km of cycle routes, extending the boulevard, a waterfront park, from 16 km to 30 km, and creating hybrid green corridors for transit, leisure, and nature.

Complementing these initiatives are investments in solar and wind energy, extensive cleanup of Soviet-era industrial pollution, and the renovation of public properties to meet higher energy efficiency standards. This set of actions aims to balance a major era of development and sustainability, if the wider pressures of growth can resist the profligacy of the Western economic development model .

Martina Juvara is a strategic planner and masterplanner, director of URBAN Silence and forth time Head of Delegation to COP for the International Society of City and Regional Planners, the only planning professionals NGO recognised by the UN