The regional Climate Weeks have barely ended and COP25 is already approaching. One of the main thematic axes addressed at the Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week, in Salvador, was Infrastructure, Cities and Global Actions. CEBDS was present at a panel where investment in the transformation of mobility for sustainable cities was discussed. It is no surprise that the theme was revamped for the next climate summit, highlighting the importance of having Clean Transportation, Buildings and Infrastructure.
The private financial sector, from investors to financiers, has supported the adoption of more climate-friendly urban mobility solutions. Concrete financial mechanisms and business models involving development banks and other stakeholders are now available. This creates the conditions for scaling up more sustainable investments in urban mobility, such as electrified public transport, which is finding favorable conditions for expansion in the Caribbean and Latin America, given the potential for electricity to be generated from renewable energy sources.
80% Air quality levels of cities around the world exceed the guidelines of the World Health Organization, putting people's health at risk and putting an additional burden on already stretched health budgets and infrastructure. Transportation is responsible for around 23% of global CO emissions2 and if there are no significant changes in the system, the trend is set to worsen as the population concentration in cities increases. It is predicted that 70% of the world's population will live in cities by 2050. Today, the Latin America and Caribbean region is the most urbanized on the planet, with 80% of the population already living in cities.
There is no shortage of solutions and opportunities for such a challenge. Sustainability trends point to the need for greater systemic territorial planning, implementation and expansion of multimodal networks, use of advanced biofuels, and greater use of electrification, sharing, automation, and connectivity. It is also necessary to improve infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists to ensure their safety. Additional alternatives such as electric bicycles and micromobility also need to be considered.
The cities in the region have the highest average bus usage per capita in the world and the electrification of the fleet is therefore a strategy low hanging fruit to achieve sustainable development through more effective measures bottom up with relevant co-benefits in terms of reducing local pollution. One of the main barriers to its implementation and expansion is the lack of consolidated partnerships and efficient financial mechanisms to make this transformation happen.
The role of the private sector is not small. It is important to encourage companies to adopt cleaner technologies and biofuels, gain scale, promote advocacy between the public and private sectors, foster innovation and defend the internalization of externalities through the implementation of carbon pricing.
So why talk about Clean Transportation, Buildings and Infrastructure? Because to promote more sustainable urban mobility, it is not enough to facilitate the use of renewable fuels, electrify the fleet or optimize and integrate the various means of transportation. It is necessary to promote access to peripheral regions and bring the workplace closer to home. Consider travel time not only on the home-work route, but also for service providers who are widely used today, whose working conditions also need to be preserved. And always be absolutely vigilant in defense of human rights throughout the production chain and in all locations that supply it. The solution cannot be just technological or financial. In a world moving towards a 5.0 society, it needs to be more humane.
