challenges and opportunities for sustainable, low carbon transport strategies in latin america

Challenges and Opportunities

for Sustainable, Low Carbon

Transport Strategies in Latin

America

Sergio Sanchez

The Clean Air Institute

Washington DC, January 15th 2010

The Bellagio Declaration

Principle 1. Effective Climate Action is incomplete without addressing the overall system performance of the Transport Sector.

Principle 2. Climate action in the transport sector should recognize co-benefits

Principle 3. More effective carbon finance mechanisms and associated procedures should catalyze sustainable transport policies, programs and projects

•

Transport sector in Latin America is one of the

largest and fastest growing GHG sector

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

% of CO2 emissions from fossil fuels

Sources: International Energy Agency (2001) and National Communications of Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Argentina

Understanding of Full Costs of

Transport Externalities Need to be

Improved and Disseminated

• Health, agriculture and biodiversity damages of air pollution

• traffic congestion

• accidents

• noise

• productivity losses

• diminished competitiveness

Pricing carbon, air quality and

congestionMarginal cost for cars (US Cents / mile, price adjusted 2005)

Health Costs of Environmental

Deterioration in Latin America

and the Caribbean (% GDP)

0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0

Colombia

Peru

El Salvador

Bolivia

Guatemala

Ecuador

% PIB

AASH

contaminación del aire urbano

contaminación del aire en interiores

Cost of Environmental Deterioration

in Mexico by Category (2004)

Costs of environmental deterioration in Mexico reaches

9% of GDP.

More than 85% of these costs are associated to outdoor

and indoor air pollution.

Source: Cifuentes (2005)

• Non profit organization, based in Washington DC, created by the members of the Clean Air Initiative for Latin American Cities (CAI-LAC).

• CAI-LAC launched on 7 large cities of Latin America in 1998.

• Mission: Improve air quality and mitigate climate change through partnerships, dialogue, knowledge dissemination and institutional strengthening of key players in the region

The Clean Air Institute

The GEF STAQ Program:

Integrated effort throughout

four linked projects

Regional

Project

Clean Air

Institute

Argentina Project

PTUBA

Rosario

Cordoba

Tucuman

Posadas

Mexico Project

SEDESOL

Ciudad Juarez

Puebla

Leon

Monterrey

Brazil Project

ANTP

Belho Horizonte

Curitiba

Sao Paulo

Objectives

Development

Country specific

Reduce growth of GHG

by less energy transport

Create policy guidelines

and address barriers

Development

Regional

Create network of key stakeholders

Help cities to develop

SUT strategies

Strengthen city’s capacity

to measure impacts of

transport policies

High Level

Reduce

rate of growth of

GHG from transport

in Latin America

The STAQ Program

addresses the most common

barriers that exist at the city

and national level to

implementing sustainable

transport practices in Latin

America

Major Barriers• Institutional

– Fragmented visions & decision making mechanisms

– Deficient regulation, enforcement and compliance

• Technical

– Deficient understanding of options, benefits & costs

– Preference for known BAU solutions

• Social

– Deficient key stakeholders involvement

– Dominant social and individual beliefs and aspirations favouring private cars.

• Financial

– Wrong economic incentives

– Inadequate capacity to access finance

– Limited private sector involvement

Approach and Project Windows

in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina

• STAQ Windows

• Public Transport Improvement

• Non Motorized Transport

• Land Use and Transport Planning

• Travel demand management

• Freight Management

• Clean Fuels and Vehicles

• Approach to reduce emissions

• Avoid or rationalize the future need to travel

• Shifting travel to more efficient modes,

• Improve existing forms of transport through technological improvements to make engines and fuels less carbon intensive.

Summary

An effective Regional Sustainable Low Carbon Transport Strategy should address institutional, technical, financial and social barriers by:

• Enhancing and mainstreaming local and national policies with applicable international agreements (environment, transport, etc.)

• Broadening involvement of key stakeholders

• Strengthening institutional capacity

• Taking advantage of lessons learned and best practices

• Developing integrated assessments of option’s costs and benefits

• Highlighting the difference transport interventions can made for citizens

• Establishing innovative financial mechanisms suitable for the transport sector

Contact information

Sergio Sanchez

Executive Director

Clean Air Institute

ssanchez@cleanairinstitute.org

+1 (202) 785 4222 x 13