BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 20. Transportation plays a crucial role in assessing climate risks, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission (DG MOVE) Maya Bakranna said at a session on "Greening Urban Transport" at COP29, Trend reports.
“Successful adaptation of urban transport to climate change requires a comprehensive understanding of risks and the construction of resilient infrastructure that can recover after disasters. Without proper planning, it is impossible to address the challenges effectively, and transport must be an integral part of climate risk assessment,” she said.
Bakranna also highlighted the pivotal role cities play in the green transition and the steps being taken in the EU to address the issue.
“First, it is essential to plan urban mobility carefully. Second, we are working to make public transport more accessible and attractive.
Infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists, and charging stations for eco-friendly vehicles are also being expanded. In addition, innovative solutions are being introduced, including shared mobility services and optimized urban freight logistics.
All of these initiatives are part of the EU's sustainable urban mobility plans, which are now mandatory for 431 large cities in the trans-European network. This means that cities must gather data and create multimodal transport hubs to support climate resilience and sustainability," she added.
To note, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will run until November 22, opened at the Baku Olympic Stadium on November 11. It is the largest event organized by Azerbaijan to date, and the first time in the region that it is being held in Azerbaijan.
Within COP29, the highest-level event - the summit of world leaders on climate action - was held on November 12–13.
The main expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. The COP29 Presidency has launched 14 initiatives that include linkages between climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals, including green energy corridors, green energy storage, harmony for climate resilience, clean hydrogen, methane reduction in organic waste, action on green digital technologies, and other topics.
In addition to being a top priority that creates the conditions for action, creating climate finance will also help fulfill the 1.5°C pledge by bringing everyone together.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for “Conference of Parties” and is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
A total of 198 countries are parties to the Convention. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.
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