Moving towards Sustainable Mobility

Today's transport sector is predominantly based on combustion of fossil fuels, making it one of the largest sources of both urban and regional air pollution and greenhouse gases. Furthermore, it is the cause of other environmental and social ill effects, ranging from loss of land and open space to noise-related nuisance, injuries, and deaths arising from accidents. Yet, the movement of goods and people is crucial for social and economic development by enabling trade and providing opportunities for employment, education and leisure. We therefore need to move towards sustainable mobility.

This involves: (i) urban planning, changing lifestyles and production patterns to reduce the need for transport at the source; (ii) rethinking transport systems, promoting inter-modality and encouraging the use of the most energy efficient mode of transport, i.e., wherever possible switch from air to rail, from the personal vehicle to public transport or non-motorized transportation; (iii) improving fuel efficiency of each mode of transport, and promoting the use of alternative fuels.

In keeping up with its broader mission as custodian of the global environment, UNEP promotes the integration of environmental considerations into transport-related decisions at all levels, ranging from global to personal. The overall objective is to bring about a shift to both transport systems and approaches to mobility that are less disruptive to the environment.

UNEP has identified three key areas of work to assist countries: (i) the improvement of urban planning to promote inter-modality (ii) the diffusion of cleaner technologies and the deployment of relevant policies that drive them to reduce environmental impacts, and (iii) the introduction of price signals that capture the full costs of different modes of transport.