NDC Transport Tracker

Ambition, targets and policies in NDCs and Long-Term Strategies

The NDC Transport Tracker was developed by the SLOCAT Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport and the Advancing Transport Climate Strategies in Rapidly Motorising Countries (TraCS) project that is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and financed by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.

23

Countries set GHG emission reduction target

135

Countries set non-GHG transport target

92

Countries include climate mitigation actions for transport (including all EU members)

140

Countries published a new or updated NDC

The NDC Transport Tracker offers a clear picture of ambitions, targets and policies in NDCs and Long-Term Strategies to support sustainable transport.

While this landing page provides an overview of transport in NDCs and LTS, the expert mode allows for more in-depth analysis by practitioners and researchers.

Via the expert mode users gain access to further information on the role of transport in climate strategies globally, in a certain region, or in a particular country. Users can engage in custom comparison between generations of climate policy documents, and detailed information on individual parameters using detailed filters on targets, mitigation and adaptation actions, means of implementation, and government structures. Country pages put these dimensions into the context of national GHG emissions and economic development.

We encourage you to use the tracker for your own work and research.

Measures that reduce transport emissions are often being categorized according to the AVOID – SHIFT - IMPROVE framework.

AVOID here refers to all measures aiming to reduce unnecessary motorised trips based on proximity and accessibility, while the second category seeks to SHIFT to less carbon-intensive modes of transport– that is, from private vehicles to public transport, shared mobility, walking and cycling, water-based freight, electrified road-rail freight, and cargo bikes for last-mile deliveries, among other. Finally, many measures’ purpose is to IMPROVE vehicle design, energy efficiency and efficiency of energy sources for different types of freight and passenger vehicles.

All three approaches are crucial for decarbonizing the transport sector. The graph shows that the majority of measures falls into the IMPROVE category. This is due to the strong focus on the electrification of road transport vehicles, overwhelmingly stemming from commitments on non-Annex I countries. AVOID measures such as transport demand management or compact development of cities remain underrepresented.

Avoid 83
Avoid 41
Shift 259
Shift 189
Improve 499
Improve 282

Distribution of references to AVOID-SHIFT-IMPROVE in first and second generation NDCs

• 2nd gen NDCs     • 1st gen NDCs

Transport adaptation measures focus on infrastructure and technology, while greater mainstreaming in planning and policy is necessary

Transport systems are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and infrastructure development decisions are expensive and/or difficult to reverse. With intensifying extreme climate events – especially in but not limited to the global south – it becomes increasingly important to adapt existing infrastructure and integrate resilience measures in new projects.

Attention towards the need to adapt transport infrastructure is increasing: 52% of low-income countries include transport adaptations measures to reduce the impact of heat waves, wildfires, heavy rainfall, monsoons, flash flooding, and rising sea levels. However, there is a strong focus on reactive adaptation of infrastructure and technology, such as increased maintenance, local adaptation measures, or the introduction of new technologies into existing transport systems. While important, future humanitarian and economic resilience against climate change will require the mainstreaming of transport adaptation in policy and public planning. These include transportation laws and regulations, avoidance of particular environmental risks, or updating standards in the transport sector.

Distribution of references to transport adaptation measures in 2nd generation NDCs

*(e.g. flood protection)

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