There is currently a wide spread consensus that the successful development of policies, programs and projects on sustainable, low carbon transport is hampered by the absence of comprehensive and reliable datasets on the composition or the transport sector, activity patterns and agreed upon scenarios for its future development. Of special concern is the lack of GHG assessment methodologies for the transport sector which has contributed to a relative limited number of dedicated policy, program and project initiatives to reduce the growth of GHG emissions in the transport sector in developing countries. The design of the post 2012 mechanisms will help to ensure carbon finance is available to curb GHGs and address other sustainability issues—i.e. air pollution, energy security, and traffic accidents. Data requirements should not only focus on data requirements for GHG reduction but also on data at the city level to enable city governments to plan for transportation systems to address the mobility needs of people. It is important to look also at the data requirements in respect of rural transport, both of people and agricultural produce, which in most developing countries is now being motorized.
The following main activities will be initiated in this working group in the period up to May 2010:
- Transport data initiative (ADB, IDB, IEA). ADB and IDB intend to undertake a scoping study for the development of an initiative to improve the availability and quality of transport data in developing countries (starting with Asia and Latin America). ADB and IDB are coordinating this study with the IEA, which until now is the leading organization when it comes to collecting, analyzing and disseminating transport data. The results and recommendations of the scoping study will be presented for endorsement at various intergovernmental and other policy oriented meetings and forums in the period April – June 2010. The comments and endorsements received in these meetings will help to shape further work on transport data in the period beyond June 2010. To ensure the participation of other Partnership members a Transport Data Contact Group will be set up which will discuss on a periodic basis the progress of the transport data initiative and make recommendations on its further development.
- Country and City database on air quality, climate change and energy, and transport (CitiesACT portal) (CAI-Asia Center, GAPF, ADB, World Bank). CAI-Asia Center is establishing a portal with (a) air pollution and GHG data for countries and cities in the transport and energy sector (b) information on policies, projects, training courses (to be expanded with technologies); (c) profiles of organizations (to be expanded with individual stakeholders). This portal can host the data to be collected by the Transport data initiative to ensure this data is also publicly available. By February 2010 the portal structure will be fully completed and will be continuously being populated, and funding will be sought to expand country and city coverage.
- GHG Assessment methodology (GEF). The long term objective is that all participants in the GEF partnership are able to develop transportation projects with the maximum impact in terms of GHG mitigation potential in land transportation sector by using appropriate tools and methodologies with measurable, reportable and verifiable input data. To address these issues and provide specific operational advice to GEF and GEF agencies, STAP together with ADB proposes to organize a Workshop with about 20-30 participants to be held in Asian Development Bank Headquarters in Manila, Philippines on October 19-20, 2009. Following the workshop, Final Report with recommendations will be produced and used, inter alia, as guidance for developing GEF methodology for measuring GHG benefits of GEF transportation projects.
- Assessment sustainability transport sector (UN-DESA – UNCRD). Over the next months the possibilities of a benchmarking of urban transport systems will be looked at. This can be based on the ongoing benchmarking efforts by the Ministry of Urban Development in India. UNCRD is considering making this a project under the regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport Forum in Asia.
