The LEDS GP Transport Working Group is publishing a series of five papers co-authored by young people from around the world on sustainable recovery for the transport sector: Leveraging insights from COVID-19 response measures to drive more sustainable, inclusive and resilient transport systems. Angel Cortez co-authored the second paper in the series which focuses on the role of renewable energy in transport systems in three different cities in Asia and Latin America.

Moving Forward Series #2 – “Renewables and Transport”

The Paris Agreement calls on countries to reduce emissions and strive towards achieving an equitable 1.5°C planet. The paper “Renewables and Transport” discusses the opportunity for a Green Recovery of the transport sector in the context of its impact on emissions worldwide. Three cities are featured to exhibit the potential, impact, and challenges of integrating renewable energy sources into transport systems in striving for sustainable transport: New Delhi/India, Romblon/Philippines and Montevideo/Uruguay.      

Angel Cortez is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine with a bachelor of science in public health and a minor in comparative literature. She supports research and project development on global transport with the SLOCAT Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport. She is interested in the disparities in urban transport and access to sustainable mobility.

Paper Series “Moving Forward: Sustainable Recovery in Transport”

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a massive impacts on mobility worldwide. With public transport authorities facing financial pressures and ridership dropping worldwide, equitable access through sustainable mobility is at risk. Guaranteeing access to economic, educational and societal opportunities through sustainable mobility options is at the center of equitable recovery and protecting public transport, bike-sharing and other efficient and clean transport services will require concerted efforts from both the national and subnational levels. Economic stimulus packages by national governments and multilateral organizations offer an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate the transformation to sustainable, low carbon transport. Cities are deploying immediate measures, such as tactical urbanism, to facilitate social cohesion while enabling physical distancing and supporting the shift towards sustainable modes of transport. Such measures can drive permanent transformations to low carbon mobility in developing countries by harnessing innovative best practices into a “new normal” of mobility planning and investment.

This paper series aims to provide an understanding of economic, social and policy opportunities that can equip policy makers to create a transformative post-COVID-19 sustainable transport agenda and complement measures to make a case for sustainable transport and mobility in economic recovery packages. Sharing knowledge on positive measures and their potential to drive long-term change can support stakeholders in capitalizing on this critical moment. It will cover five topics related to sustainable, low-carbon transport with the underlying theme of leading towards a more equitable and sustainable post-COVID-19 world. The papers focus on activities in Asia but are covering examples from around the world, making use of the most valuable insights and outcomes.

In the first paper of the series, Érika Martins Silva Ramos provides an understanding of how COVID-19 has impacted sustainable transport explains how governments are supporting recovery in the sub-sectors that were most affected (e.g., public transport).

As recovery continues, research, analysis, and capacity-building are vital to harness socio-economic and policy opportunities to sustainably transform transport systems and to ensure that responses to the crisis help us “build back better.”

The paper was co-authored by Angel Cortez, and Chris Dekki, Angela Enriquez and Nikola Medimorec from the LEDS Transport Working Group.

Upcoming papers: Moving Forward #3 to #5

• #3 An Essential Shift to Sustainable Freight Transport in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic (Co-Author: Agnivesh Pani)
• #4 Job creation through green transport (Co-Author: Cyprine Odada)
• #5 Opening streets for people (Co-Author: Seble Samuel)