The 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework for the Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took place in Glasgow in November 2021, under the Presidency of the Government of the United Kingdom. The transport sector has played an increasingly prominent role in COP meetings over the past few years and for the first time last year at COP26, it was represented at its highest level by Transport Ministers in a meeting organised by the UK COP Presidency and the UK Department for Transport. Through the launch of "Decarbonise Transport! A Call from Business Leaders for Climate Action and Collaboration with Governments”, leaders in the private sector highlighted the need for new and innovative collaboration to reach transport decarbonisation by 2050. Transport sector achievements at COP26 marked a change in how transport is perceived by the climate change community and how climate change should be governed. The COP26 final decision text, i.e. the Glasgow Climate Pact, also marked the beginning of the phasing out of fossil fuels where the transport sector must accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies and implement policies to transition to low-emission systems, while ensuring that the transition will be just and inclusive. A summary of transport outcomes at COP26 can be found here: https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/docs/cop26-transport-policy...

Building upon previous high-level transport and climate dialogues, including the 2021 ITF Ministers’ Roundtable (MRT) “Transport and Climate Change: Moving forward from COP25” and the Transport Ministers meeting at COP26, this MRT on "Transport and Climate Change: Moving forward from COP26" will focus on the critical policy guidance required to lead infrastructure financing and investment, including to enhance and integrate sustainable transport modes, such as public transport, walking, and cycling; to create greater partnerships and collaboration among stakeholder groups beyond the transport sector; to identify opportunities for better integration of high-level transport and climate change policy dialogues, and to support a just transition in the transport sector. Key discussion outputs will also be carried forward to high-level transport and climate change dialogues at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022. 

Specific topics for discussion are listed as follows:

1. What are existing or planned transport-related CO2 mitigation policies or initiatives that would help countries achieve the Paris Agreement goals and the Glasgow Climate Pact? In particular, what are the expectations of the role of public transport and active travel in such policies, and what policy incentives will encourage behavioural change?

2. How can the transport sector help facilitate greater collaboration among stakeholder groups, especially between public and private sector actors to jointly advance climate actions in transport?

3. What are the most important actions that Transport Ministries can take to develop COVID-19 recovery pathways that are sustainable, resilient and inclusive and will contribute to transport and climate change mitigation and adaptation measures? 

The Summary Report for this Ministers' Roundtable is available to download here: 

2022MRT1_Transport and Climate Change_Summary Report.pdf

2022MRT1_Transport and Climate Change_Summary Report.pdf