When it comes to climate change, the transport sector is both a contributor as well as a victim .Transportation is vulnerable to it in ways such as higher temperatures, increased precipitations, and flooding. At the same time, transport is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions , and is one of the sectors where emissions are rising the fastest. Thus we can conclude that in order to make progress in this sector, transportation must be adapted to climate change.


The importance of transport in the global platforms is reflected in major milestones  such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the COP21 Paris Agreement. Over 70% of the Nationally Determined Contributions that countries have proposed to implement the Paris Agreement include transport commitments such as increasing public transportation and shifting freight from roads to railways and waterways.

At the national level, more and more countries are now seeking opportunities to develop policies and projects for smarter mobility . The government in many of these nations have shown interest to promote climate-smart transport in 3 major ways.

1.     1. private to public transport in cities

2.      2.roads to rail and waterways for freight

3.      3.fossil to non-fossil fuels.

1.   1.Private transportation is popular in many cities around the world simply due to the existence of poor public transportation system. In the case Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, the public transportation is extremely inefficient in numerous ways. There are insufficient public buses and the few buses that operate are not maintained properly and as a result they are uncomfortable and are hazardous. At the same time there is no subway or tram transportation facilities. In such a case, buying a private vehicle makes perfect sense. If there were sufficient and well maintained public buses then people would no longer need to buy their private vehicles.

2.    2. Freight in roads contribute to traffic congestion as well. This slows down the vehicle movement and contribute to congestion that can last up to hours and result in millions of dollars of losses to the GDP of any nation. But if the freight can be delivered through trains and water vehicles then this issue would be prevented. Governments should develop the railway and the waterway system and at the same time provide incentives for people to use these mediums to transport freight.

3.  3.Governments should expedite the shift to renewable energy instead of relying on the private sector to make the transition. National power should be shifted from coal and fossil fuels to renewable sources including solar, hydro and wind. With the cooperation of developmental organizations, achieving this will be easier for the poor and developing nations.

Many experts around the world agree that climate smart transportation is essential to achieve the sustainable development goals. We as the youth, as the future leaders should hope for the best and contribute to building a better tomorrow by playing our roles in mobilizing more young people to tackle the issues of today.