Urban transport and climate change action plans: an overview
More and more cities around the world are developing dedicated Climate Change Action Plans to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and improve the local air quality for their inhabitants. The transport sector usually plays a crucial role in any such strategy. In many cases, transportation is the primary source of CO2 and other GHGs, contributing up to 40 percent of the cities' total emissions.
This paper summarises the measures outlined in Climate Change Action Plans of more than 30 cities in all continents. Its focus is on the actions proposed in the transport chapter of the relevant plans. However, in many cases other Urban Transport Planning documents (Transportation Master Plans, Land Use Plans, etc.) play a key role for implementing specific measures, while the Climate Action Plans outline the more general goals.