Origin of World Sustainable Transport Day
At its plenary session on 16 May 2023, the United Nations General Assembly – one of the main UN bodies – approved the creation of World Sustainable Transport Day, a day to be celebrated on 26 November.
In the resolution establishing Sustainable Transport Day, the General Assembly emphasised ‘that sustainable, low-emission and energy-efficient modes of transport contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals’.
In the same document, the supranational organisation of 193 Member States recognised ‘the important role of safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all in supporting sustainable economic growth, improving people’s social well-being and fostering international cooperation and trade among countries’.
Furthermore, this institution born on 24 October 1945 noted ‘the importance of cooperation to improve transport connectivity through an integrated intermodal transport system by developing reliable, sustainable, resilient and quality infrastructure’.
What is sustainable transport?
According to the UN, sustainable transport is not an end in itself, but a means to achieve sustainable development.
It is based on the consideration that transport is fundamental to many issues (such as trade, economic growth and employment) but is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Therefore, being able to resolve these trade-offs is of great importance in order to achieve sustainable transport and, consequently, sustainable development.
Reducing the environmental footprint and committing to clean and renewable energies are the objectives of sustainable transport, a concept that includes both the movement of people and goods.
Already in 2016, the Secretary General’s High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport (of the United Nations) defined this concept as “the provision of services and infrastructure for the mobility of people and goods – which promote economic and social development for the benefit of current and future generations – in a safe, affordable, accessible, efficient and resilient manner, while minimizing carbon and other emissions and environmental impacts.”
Digital habits to avoid CO2 emissions
The Connected Life 2023 Report analyzes how connectivity enables the change of certain habits by choosing more sustainable options through applications or online services.
According to the data provided by this study, conducted among its B2C customers in Germany, Brazil and Spain, Telefónica helped to avoid the emission of 69 million tons ofCO2, in 2023.
As far as mobility is concerned, the report notes that at least two out of three of those surveyed say they use public transport applications and at least 25% use car-sharing platforms. As a curiosity, the use of shared vehicles -those in which each car has more than one occupant- avoids the emission of between 42 and 53 kg ofCO2 per user per year.
And finally, thanks to satellite navigation applications (used by more than half of those surveyed), it is possible to avoid traffic congestion or unnecessary detours, thereby reducing consumption and therefore emissions.
