The link between transport and climate adaptation and resilience was on full display in Nepal, at the 9th Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum co-organised by UNCRD, UNESCAP, and SLoCaT, with GIZ as a key partner. The event took place in Kathmandu, where the recent earthquake damage underscored the topic’s importance, with Nepal’s Prime Minister addressing the Forum on sustainable mobility.
The EST Forum, an annual gathering on sustainable transport in Asia, took place this year from 16-21 November in Kathmandu, Nepal. The event brought together key stakeholders to explore government policies and measures in sustainable transport from NGOs, academia, as well as Ministries not only limited to transport, but also from environment, energy, and finance, to name a few. Policy-makers, practitioners and industry leaders meet at the EST Forum to network, innovate, learn, share experiences and to reflect on how to apply the Avoid/Shift/Improve framework to sustainable transport, including considerations of road safety, climate adaptation, disaster resilience, and the new Sustainable Development Goals.
EST Participants were taken on a site visit on electric tricycles, such as the one featured above. They had 72 Volt batteries, and with a fleet of 700 in Kathmandu, they transport over 100,000 passengers per day. Photo by Tali Trigg.
GIZ and in particular the Project on Transport and Climate Change (TCC) took a very active part in this year’s conference, helping invite delegates, co-write the Chair’s Summary, present on Transport and Climate Change Policy in ASEAN, and moderate a session on Climate Adaptation & Resilience in the Transport Sector in Asia. GIZ itself was highlighted in three Paragraphs of the Chair’s Summary.
Overall, messages from EST member states included:
- Stressing the importance of co-benefits and ICT as an enabler towards mitigation activities for transport;
- Emphasizing the role that electric vehicles (especially e-bikes) can play to enhance energy efficiency and security, and to reduce local air and noise pollution;
- INDCs were widely discussed, and again, it was noted that 2/3-wheelers got little-to-no attention from EST member states in their INDC submissions, despite their high potential.
From TCC’s perspective, while the transport sector was not included specifically in some countries’ INDCs, many discussions took place between stakeholders that had not yet interacted sufficiently, and the question now is: how to take forward this increased engagement on transport and climate change? TCC looks forward to engaging with our partners in ASEAN to answer just this question.
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For more information about GIZ events and the content and reports of each session you can find resources below:
ALL PRESENTATIONS FROM EST can be found here.
BACKGROUND PAPERS for EST:
1. 9th EST Forum – Plenary 1 (Background Paper 1): Building Resilient Societies: Towards a Safe, Climate Adaptive and Disaster Resilient Transport System for Asia: http://www.uncrd.or.jp/content/documents/3369Background%20Paper%20for%20EST%20Plenary%20Session%201%20(No.%201).pdf
2. 9th EST Forum – Plenary 1 (Background Paper 2): Low-carbon Transport – Heath and Climate Benefits: http://www.uncrd.or.jp/content/documents/3373Background%20Paper%20for%20EST%20Plenary%20Session%201%20(No.%202).pdf
3. 9th EST Forum – Plenary 2 (Background Paper 1): National Sustainable Transport Strategy (NSTS) for Nepal (2015 – 2040): http://www.uncrd.or.jp/content/documents/3377Background%20Paper%20-EST%20Plenary%20Session%202%20(No.%201).pdf
4. 9th EST Forum – Plenary 2 (Background Paper 2): Climate and Disaster Resilient Transport System and Infrastructure Development for Nepal: http://www.uncrd.or.jp/content/documents/3381Background%20Paper%20-EST%20Plenary%20Session%202%20(No.%202).pdf
5. 9th EST Forum – Plenary 4 (Background Paper): Major Challenges, Progress and Achievements by Asian Countries on the Implementation of ES Policies and Measures from Aichi (2005) to Kathmandu (2015): http://www.uncrd.or.jp/content/documents/3385Background%20Paper%20for%20EST%20Plenary%20Session%204.pdf
6. 9th EST Forum – Plenary 5 (Background Paper 1): Best Practices in National Support for Urban Transportation Volume 2: Growing Rapid Transit Infrastructure: Funding, Financing, and Capacity: http://www.uncrd.or.jp/content/documents/3389Backgroun%20paper%20for%20Plenary%20Session%205%20(No.%201).pdf
7. 9th EST Forum – Plenary 6 (Background Paper): Accelerated Action on Rural Transport in Asia-Pacific Region: http://www.uncrd.or.jp/content/documents/3393Background%20paper%20for%20EST%20Plenary%20Session%206.pdf
8. 9th EST Forum – Plenary 7 (Background Paper): Adaptation in the Transport Sector in Asia – Recommendation for COP21: http://www.uncrd.or.jp/content/documents/3397Background%20paper%20for%20EST%20Pleanry%20Session%207.pdf
