BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 12. More than a quarter of the world's global fuel-related greenhouse gas emissions come from the transport sector, and transformation in this sector must play a central role in implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Vladanka Andreeva said, Trend reports.
She made the remark at the International Forum on Sustainable Development and Climate Innovation in Baku today.
According to her, emissions from the transport sector could double if the world continues following the current tendency, but this trend must be reversed.
“To promote sustainable mobility, the UN has launched various coalition initiatives with the transport sector, including the largest global coalition such as the 'Action towards Climate-Friendly Transport' (ACT), which focuses on decarbonizing and transitioning all forms of transport to zero emissions," Andreeva explained.
She reminded that in 2023, a UN General Assembly resolution declared the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026-2035), and November 26 was proclaimed as World Sustainable Transport Day.
However, she emphasized that to drastically reduce emissions in the transport sector and shift to a low-carbon scenario, innovative automotive technologies, sustainable biofuels, improved infrastructure, climate-optimized urban planning, financing, and public awareness campaigns are also needed.
Andreeva mentioned that many companies in the transport sector belong to the private sector, which plays a key role in driving climate action.
"Non-state actors, including the private sector, are key partners in the fight against climate change. An increasing number of countries have already committed to reducing their emissions to net zero, and others are joining the race. This is crucial, as widespread and meaningful participation in climate action broadens support for the transformations we desperately need," the official stressed.
She noted that it's critical to prevent the worst effects of climate change and preserve a livable planet by limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees or below.
“A comprehensive approach and collaboration across all sectors and levels of society are needed. We must encourage cross-sector cooperation in combating the climate crisis," the UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan pointed out
She also mentioned that climate change affects all of us, and only through inclusive and coordinated efforts can meaningful progress be achieved, including at the upcoming COP29 in Baku this November.
This November, Azerbaijan will host COP29. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary meeting held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Baku will become the center of the world and will receive about 70–80,000 foreign guests.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. COP—the Conference of the Parties—is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 198 countries that are parties to the Convention. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the COP is held annually. The first COP event took place in March 1995 in Germany's Berlin, with its secretariat in Bonn.
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