Descrição

Human induced emission of CO2 is one of the most
important challenges humanity has to deal with in the 21st
century. The transportation sector is responsible for
approximately 23% of global CO2 emissions, a number that
is growing, particularly in view of the increasing vehicle
ownership and use in developing and emerging economies
(IEA, 2008). While clean vehicle technology and cleaner
fuels have been adopted as appropriate strategies to reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the last few years,
the discussion in the 2009 United Nations climate change
Conference of the Parties (COP) 15 in Copenhagen
concluded that a complete restructuring of the way
urban mobility is organized is the only feasible climate
mitigation strategy. Non-motorized transportation (NMT)
development is therefore becoming a core strategy that
has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions. NMT also offers
important benefits for society by promoting people’s health,
providing opportunities for economic development and
contributing to social inclusion. Developing countries,
particularly in Asia and Latin America, should play a major
role in developing mitigation strategies, because much
of the growth in transportation related CO2 emissions is
expected to be coming from these countries, if nothing is
done (IEA, 2008). Sustainable transportation projects
could induce reductions in CO2 emissions of the road
transportation sector by: (1) “Avoiding” the need for
mobility; (2) “Shifting” mobility to sustainable modes
of transportation, such as cycling; or (3) “Improving”
sustainability of current mobility (Dalkmann and
Brannigan, 2007).