Transport

Overview

The context

Accounting for nearly a quarter of all energy-related CO2 emissions globally, the transport sector is a significant contributor to the climate crisis. Among the different modes of transportation, road vehicles comprise nearly 75 per cent of transport carbon dioxide emissions and aviation 10 per cent. Moreover, confounding the issue is the lack access of access to convenient, efficient, and low emissions public transport systems in developing countries. 

A transformation of the sector is needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. However, multiple barriers prevent the adoption of low emission and climate-resilient transportation such as high upfront costs for new low emissions technology, lack of government capacity, high risks associated with the cost of sustainable transport infrastructure projects, fossil fuel subsidies, and behavioural choices of transport users.

GCF’s unique role

The Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) investments in this result area aim to promote low emission public transport, the electrification of transport systems, and the deployment of new generation zero-emission fuels to move away not only from single occupancy vehicle use but also from fossil fuel vehicles. GCF resources are also used to ensure project design and implementation of transit-oriented development (e.g., developing multi-use living spaces around metro stations) and non-motorised transport promotion (e.g., bicycle lanes, pedestrian walkways). 

GCF’s unique financing position, based on four complementary pathways, is designed to unlock climate innovations and investments in low emission, climate-resilient transport systems: 

1. Transformational planning and programming – GCF can work with the governments of developing countries to integrate climate action planning and programming in relation to mobility within national budget plans as well as COVID-19 recovery plans to reduce capital requirements in the long term. This includes transit-oriented development planning and access incentives to increase public transport ridership. 
2. Catalysing climate innovation – GCF financing can support innovations in technology, business models, or norms and specifications to encourage the emergence and penetration of low emission and climate-resilient innovations. This includes innovations for electric charging infrastructure and equity investments in energy storage technologies value chain. 
3. Mobilising funds at scale – Strategic use of GCF resources can enable mobilisation of funds at scale through blended finance to improve risk=adjusted returns for private capital or to increase access to sustainable sources of public investment.
4. Coalitions and knowledge to scale up success – GCF can work with countries and various stakeholders to generate and share knowledge from the implementation of its projects and programmes to enable the rapid diffusion of new technologies and norms for transition to low emission, climate-resilient transport systems. 

Resources

Sectoral guide: Low emission transport

22 Aug 2022

Research-based evidence, best practices, and lessons learned indicate that the highest impact for a paradigm shift in the low emissions transport sectoral guide can be achieved through three interlinked pathways: (1) accelerating shift to low emission public transport, (2) rapidly electrifying transport systems, and (3) supporting scale up of new generation zero emission fuels. To meet the capital needs of the three pathways, alignment between long term strategic transport planning as well as land, energy, and financial planning, which integrate climate and development goals, is essential.

SAP Technical Guidelines: Transport

21 Feb 2023

The publication provides technical guidance for the preparation of SAP proposals. Although there is no one standard definition of the transport sector, it can be described as including all kinds of transportation, such as road, rail and maritime transport, and aviation.