As world leaders convene at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Partnership for Active Travel and Health (PATH) Coalition, backed by over 400 global supporters, is on the ground with a clear message: include walking and cycling in national climate commitments as a fast-track way to achieve progress on urgent climate goals.
Launching today, PATH has published a wide-ranging collection of 20 case studies—from Indonesia to Canada—demonstrating the transformative potential of active travel policies in cutting emissions, improving health, and enhancing quality of life.
The case studies showcase real-world initiatives that bring to life the 20 actions detailed in PATH’s Active Travel NDC Template. They provide practical examples, insights and inspiration for national governments preparing updates to their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
Innovative examples include Australia, which has integrated walking and cycling into healthcare prescriptions, and Bhutan, which has developed a comprehensive framework to assess the benefits of active travel. Notably, eight of the case study countries - Colombia, Ethiopia, Egypt, the USA, Rwanda, Singapore, Canada, and Bhutan - have already aligned their active travel policies with their NDC commitments. Meanwhile in Europe, France, Spain, and Portugal have linked climate and transport for active travel. Other countries featured the UK, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Morocco, UAE, and South Africa - have strong active travel policies already in place, with impressive actions underway that should be adopted into their forthcoming NDCs.
The PATH Coalition has also published an open letter urging countries to make full use of these tools to incorporate walking and cycling into their climate commitments through the next round of NDC submissions, from November 2024 to February 2025, ahead of COP30 in Brazil.
“There are so many powerful examples of how to enable more people to walk and cycle safely in every region of the world,” said Sheila Watson, Deputy Director of the FIA Foundation, a founding PATH partner and funder of the work. “This resource arrives at a critical moment, as countries are formulating their NDCs ahead of the February 2025 deadline, offering knowledge that is as inspiring as it is actionable. We hope it will encourage governments to widen their horizons and become more ambitious in their active travel policy actions and investments.”
Jim Walker, Founder of Walk21, emphasised the valuable knowledge and guidance this publication can bring to policymakers, noting, “These examples show well-crafted policies and actions for walking and cycling – which are readily available, high-impact solutions - can create lasting, positive change. Countries can draw from these to strengthen their climate commitments and integrate active travel into their national strategies.”
Jill Warren, CEO of the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), commented on the PATH Knowledge Tool’s role in raising awareness: "By sharing these practical yet inspiring examples with policy and decision makers at COP29 and beyond, we want to underscore walking and cycling’s huge potential to tackle climate change, improve public health, support public transport, and contribute to more vibrant, inclusive, and equitable communities."
The Active Travel National Case Study Actions add to PATH’s wealth of resources that can support governments in formulating active travel policies.
These include:
- The PATH Active Travel NDC Template: A detailed, step-by-step guide with 20 recommended actions to support national active travel policies.
- The PATH Dashboard: A powerful data visualisation tool that draws from PATH’s 2023 report, National Policies for Walking and Cycling in all 197 UNFCCC Countries.
- PATH Walking and Cycling Regional Fact Sheets: Comprehensive infographics and analysis tailored to the six WHO-defined regions. These fact sheets break down each region's objectives, policy actions, investments, and evaluation methods to highlight successes and identify areas for further action.
ENDS
PATH (Partnership for Active Travel and Health) is a coalition of leading NGOs calling on governments and cities to make a real commitment to walking and cycling as a key solution to the climate, health and equity challenges which they face. It is coordinated by a core group consisting of the FIA Foundation who are funding the coordination work – Walk21, the European Cyclists’ Federation and the UN Environment Programme
Read more at: www.pathforwalkingcycling.com
For more information:
FIA Foundation
Kate Turner
[email protected]
+44 (0) 787 989 32 22
European Cyclists’ Federation
Anna-Karina Reibold
[email protected]
+32 (0) 483 08 38 81
Walk21
Jim Walker
[email protected]
+44 (0) 780 133 49 15
