The past decade has been the hottest on record ever. Severe heat waves ravaged regions from China to Argentina, unprecedented flooding and rainfall wreaked havoc in countries across Africa and Asia, and the Maui wildfire in the United States was the deadliest in over a century.

Sadly, these events serve as stark reminders of the urgent need to slash global greenhouse emissions swiftly to avert further climate catastrophes. Road passenger transport alone is responsible for about 10% of humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Over the next 30 years, about 2 billion more people will come to live in our world’s cities, creating a greater demand for fuel and a projected 26% increase in urban transport emissions by 2050.

The solution is clear. Cities must rapidly embrace sustainable mobility in order to effectively reduce emissions. By rapidly increasing both shared and electric mobility, cities could reduce urban transport emissions by over 54% compared to the expected increase from a business-as-usual scenario.

INNOVATIVE TRANSPORT IN MEXICO

In Mexico, ITDP launched the Ideamos program in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank across several cities to ramp up the development of innovative, data-driven solutions for more sustainable and inclusive mobility. The project delivered successful pilots that included electrifying mini buses in Puebla, delivering essential goods on bikes to vulnerable populations, and studying the mobility patterns of aging populations in Mexico City. Each pilot aimed to find solutions tailored to the needs of the city’s residents while reducing emissions and promoting a shift to walking, cycling, and public transport. As a result of the combined pilots, there was a 31% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the baseline and over 27,000 people directly benefited from the pilots.

TIANJIN’S MODEL FOR ACTIVE MOBILITY

With support from ITDP, Tianjin, the sixth largest city in China, is aiming to return to its time as a leader in urban cycling after decades of fossil-fuel dependent, car-oriented transport planning. Since 2014, ITDP has supported Tianjin to improve its mobility systems and its approach to urban development. In partnership with the World Bank, ITDP implemented one of the largest transit-oriented development projects of its kind in China that led to the redesign of over 180 streets and 132 kilometers worth of improved pedestrian and cycling networks. The project also improved areas around a hundred metro stations and increased access to green and open space. These policies are igniting a walking and cycling boom that has already resulted in over 260,000 more daily trips by foot or bike.

REIMAGINING STREETS IN INDIA

Since 2020, the Indian government, with ITDP as a chief partner, has implemented several national programs designed to rapidly increase cycling, walking, and public transport, while reducing dependence on cars. Nearly 150 cities have participated in the Cycles4Change, Streets4People, and Transport 4All programs, which resulted in the implementation of over 570 km of walking and cycling projects throughout the country, with an additional 1400 km in progress across 48 Indian cities. ITDP was instrumental in supporting cities as they worked to rapidly improve walking infrastructure and promote active mobility commutes to work. After such massive success, the national government has extended the programs for one more year, which means ITDP has another opportunity to maximize national government support towards a zero-carbon mobility transformation.