As the COP21 continued, ECF & WCA’s Transport Initiative Cycling Delivers on the Global Goals was presented by Secretary-General Bernhard Ensink at the booth of the next EU Presidency country: The Netherlands. The Dutch Minister for Infrastructure and Environment, Sharon Dijksma, joined the event and replied to the presented transport initiatives. That cycling is represented in the row of sustainable transport initiatives was not a surprise for her: “And of course cycling … where would the Netherlands be without cycling!” 

Tanya Muller Garcia during the HLAG-ST meeting

Back in 2014, the Secretary-General of the United Nations launched a High Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport (HLAG-ST). The HLAG-ST gave a briefing at COP21 on their work. They focus on being an independent voice for Sustainable Transport, including ALL modes, and doing actionable recommendations. ECF & WCA’s Secretary-General is member of the working group that delivers advice to the HLAG-ST and joined the briefing on 8th of December. It was confirmed that the United Nations will organize in 2016 with HLAG-ST a UN conference on Transport where they will present their “Global Transport Outlook Report”. “I was impressed by the exceptionally strong intervention from Tanya Müller Garcia, Secretary of Environment of Mexico City,” says Bernhard Ensink, “She was urging for actions within the strategy of Avoid (unnecessary transport), Shift (to more sustainable modes) and Improve (the vehicles, organisations, systems). She mentioned explicitly walking and cycling – and the World Cycling Alliance!” 

These meetings and work rounded out the end of the COP21. Now the world has a new climate agreement in the form of the Paris Agreement – see here for the official text – but what does this mean for transport? Well, we should and will celebrate this diplomatic achievement,  as the road was long to get here. However, especially within the transportation sector, there are huge omissions, such as aviation and shipping. In a sense, the hardest part is still ahead of us – making the changes needed. “The Paris agreement is an important step forward to non-fossil fuel based transportation,” says Bernhard Ensink. “We have shown that ‘Cycling delivers on the Global Goals’, including Goal #13 on Climate Action! Let’s integrate now the legacy of the year 2015, the adoptation of the Global Goals by the UN and the agreement on Climate Action at COP21 into our strategies for our mission ‘More people cycling, more often! – worldwide!”