Climate & Environment

Sustainable Transport

Meaning statusEstablishedSource recordDirect source requestedWhy these are different

Definition

Sustainable transport provides safe, affordable and accessible mobility while minimising emissions, pollution, land take, congestion and road danger. The strategy hierarchy is avoid-shift-improve: avoid unnecessary trips (land use, telepresence), shift to efficient modes (walking, cycling, public transport, rail freight), and improve remaining vehicles (electrification, efficiency, clean fuels). Transport generates around a fifth of global CO₂ and is among the slowest sectors to decarbonise.

References

www.itf-oecd.orgBulk import source

This reference provides supporting context for how “Sustainable Transport” is defined and used.

slocat.netBulk import source

Source imported for editorial provenance.

Overview

How it is used

The concept structures national and city transport strategies, the avoid-shift-improve framework, SLOCAT partnership work and SDG 11. 2 monitoring.

Why it matters

Transport is the hardest major sector to clean because it is the most behavioural; sustainable transport is the whole-system answer.