BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 20. It is necessary to introduce efficiency measures that can be implemented immediately in order to achieve carbon neutrality, the secretary general of the International Road Transport Union (IRU), Umberto de Pretto, said during a high-level roundtable on "Greening Urban Transport" in Baku, Trend reports.
“The key thing now is pragmatism and action. Our journey towards 2050 and achieving carbon neutrality is a marathon, not a sprint, and we need to start today. It is important to introduce efficiency measures that can be implemented immediately.
For instance, before COP29, we worked with the FIA to train 5,000 bus, coach, and cab drivers to reduce their carbon emissions by 15 percent. This is an example of acting here and now rather than delaying until 2050. It's important to ask ourselves: What can we do today? For example, it is often written on buses in cities that one bus replaces 30 cars. How can we make buses and shuttles so convenient and attractive that people start to switch to them en masse? Especially since they reduce carbon emissions by 81 percent per passenger-kilometer and are the safest mode of transportation,” he said.
According to him, it is also worth paying attention to financing.
“Investments in buses and shuttles are ten times cheaper than investments in rail transportation. Of course, railroads are also important, but if you need a fast and flexible alternative, buses and shuttles are the ideal options to move people out of cars. When it comes to trucking within cities, the use of eco-friendly trucks (EcoTrucks) can reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent, according to the ITF. This solution is already available and needs to be actively utilized. So, thanks to driver training and the implementation of EcoTrucks, we can already reduce emissions by 45 percent,” added Umberto de Pretto.
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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