Upcoming regional exchange on prioritising mitigation actions in transport to enhance NDCs

4 years ago

In Kenya, there is a Kiswahili saying ‘Kusema na Kutenda’ which loosely translates as ‘saying and taking action.’ Kenya, as well as other African countries, are moving from saying what needs to be done – put into writing in the Paris Agreement and countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – to acting on it by implementing their climate commitments at the sectoral level.

In 2020, countries are asked to submit new or updated NDCs to the UNFCCC. This is a great point in time to increase ambition of the NDCs and enhance the contribution of the transport sector to climate change mitigation. However, in order to identify the most effective sectoral interventions to reduce emissions, countries first need to analyse the potential low carbon transport pathways and their likely emissions impact.

The UNFCCC Secretariat, GIZ and partners have created numerous tools to support countries in assessing emissions both at national and sectoral level. The Transport Volume of a compendium on GHG baselines and monitoring, for instance, provides a guide to existing methodologies. These tools enable countries to quantify their emissions and determine the most effective low carbon pathways. As a result, countries can gain confidence in designing and implementing mitigation actions to meet their respective climate targets as well as contribute towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

To further capacities in the African region, ca. 40 representatives from 18 different countries across Africa will converge in Nairobi for a technical training workshop on ‘GHG emissions quantification and prioritizing policies, actions and measures in the transport sector’ from 11^th to 13^th February 2020. The workshop is organized jointly by the UNFCCC Secretariat and GIZ’s Advancing Transport Climate Strategies project funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). Participants of the workshop are involved in climate change mitigation planning and implementation or in coordinating GHG inventories for the transport sector.

The by-invitation-only training will increase the mutual understanding of Environment and Transport Ministry representatives in Africa on the contribution the transport sector can make to the 2^nd round of NDCs. Moreover, it will give insights on how to quantify and report those contributions and how to prioritize mitigation actions in the sector.

Follow the proceedings of the technical workshop via our social media platforms and feel free to share your thoughts and ideas on how to mitigate transport emissions with us via twitter.

Contact: Carol Mutiso

Photo by Kevin Sabuni (GIZ)