Global NDC Template for Popular Transport: How do we incorporate popular transportation in National Determined Contributions (NDCs)?

COP29, or the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan from the 11th to the 22nd of November 2024.

The UNFCCC says, “Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and the achievement of its long-term goals. NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The Paris Agreement (Article 4, paragraph 2) requires each Party to prepare, communicate and maintain successive nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that it intends to achieve. Parties shall pursue domestic mitigation measures, with the aim of achieving the objectives of such contributions.”

Signatories to the Paris Agreement must submit their NDCs every five years. The next NDCs (NDC 3.0) are due next year, 2025.

With the support of the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI), the Global Network for Popular Transport (GNPT) and Transport for Cairo (TfC) are proposing a Global NDC Template for Popular Transport.

Despite serving an estimated 68% of motorized trips across the world, only Angola and Uganda currently consider popular transport in their NDCs.

With the right combination of measures, including vehicle upgrades and operational efficiencies, popular transportation could contribute to a 4% reduction globally of GHG emissions coming from transportation. (ITF-OECD 2024)

This template recognizes popular transport’s emission reduction potential and is a step towards integrating these systems into global climate action to help countries prepare their 2025 NDC submission. It complements existing NDC frameworks for rail, public transport and active mobility.

You can find and download the full resource here.