Jul 13, 2015
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
+1 (202) 785 4222 x 13