TRANSPORT OUT OF THE GREENHOUSE: International seminar introduction

Transport emissions are growing, while climate targets are getting stricter: the gap is closing. We are rapidly approaching a future where transport could occupy or even exceed all of the ‘allowed’ CO2 emissions, if measures are not taken. Many potential climate policies and strategies for transport have been analysed, but few have been implemented. Within industrialized countries there is a history of infrastructure development focused on individual motorized transport. Changing this requires long term investments, and changes to mobility patterns. For developing countries it is important to prevent a similar development lock-in that precludes unsustainable mobility patterns. What are possible policy pathways and appropriate institutional frameworks for achieving transitions towards low carbon transport in industrialized countries, and to avoid repeating the failures in developing ones?