Tracking progress on Climate Action: More focus on cycling needed

By

19 Nov, 2020

The transport sector is the second-fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions after industry. It accounts for roughly 25% of the world’s total CO2 emissions, and most projections show a growing trend in the near and medium-term future.

A decisive and substantial further shift in favor of active modes of transport like cycling and walking is essential to reducing transport emissions to reach the targets of the Paris Agreement. Yet, in their joint 'State of Climate Action' report, published today, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and ClimateWorks focus on the uptake of electric vehicles and the share of alternative fuels to assess progress in reducing transport emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.

This focus is extremely short-sighted in our view, and fails to properly consider the transformational potential of cycling in decarbonising the transport sector, not to mention cycling’s role in boosting the quality of life in cities worldwide, improving road safety and public health, and generating economic growth

Morten Kabell

ECF co-CEO

“If EU cycling modal share was to reach the cycling modal share in Denmark by 2050, this would represent 490 billion kilometers per year, or savings of between 63 and 142 million tonnes of CO2 per year, representing 12 to 26% of the target reduction set for the transport sector. We cannot afford not to invest in cycling in our fight against climate change”.

Jill Warren

ECF co-CEO

“This report takes a car-centred approach to transport that is frankly unsustainable. To mitigate the catastrophic effects of climate change and ensure a truly more resilient future, countries, cities and towns the world over need to greatly accelerate investments and policies that enable more and better cycling as a much bigger part of the world’s transport mix".

Jenn Dice

PeopleForBikes President and CEO

“ Any broad solution to address climate change must include bicycles. It is a simple, low cost solution that should be inherent to any plan. We’re asking researchers and policymakers to recognize that investments in bike infrastructure and financial incentives for biking offer one small but critical part of the overall effort."