BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 20. Transportation is a key sector in efforts to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications of Chile Juan Carlos Muñoz said during a high-level roundtable on "Greening Urban Transport" in Baku today, Trend reports.
“The next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) should be submitted by February 2025. These contributions represent our collective commitment to mitigate climate change and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Transportation, as we are all well aware, is a key sector in this effort. It makes a significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 23 percent of energy-related CO2 emissions. However, the harsh reality is that this sector is not moving towards decarbonization in line with our commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Despite the obvious impact on global emissions, only 33 percent of existing NDCs include specific emission reduction targets for the transport sector, while the majority of NDCs mention transport measures that vary significantly in scope and detail,” he said.
According to him, this inconsistency creates a gap that we cannot afford if we are serious about building a sustainable future.
“To bridge this gap, I am pleased to announce and unveil a new guidance document on integrating transport into nationally determined contributions, developed by the ITF Secretariat. This document is a critical resource that we hope will be a game changer in the approach to transportation in future NDCs. It is important to emphasize that this document is not prescriptive. Rather, it offers a comprehensive framework that governments can use and adapt according to their national circumstances, development pathways, and approaches. Each country faces unique challenges, opportunities, and priorities, and the NDCs should reflect this diversity while remaining within the objectives of the Paris Agreement,” he 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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