12/03/2024

Connecting the Dots at Transport and Climate Change Week 2024

Blue banner with the text 'Transport and Climate Change Week 2024'. A dotted world map background displays interconnected nodes marked with yellow circles. Event date: 4–8 November 2024, online.

By ‘Connecting the Dots’, the IKI supported Transport Week 2024 created an environment for over 1,500 participants from 108 countries for integrated solutions, ensuring a global perspective and promoting global transport action.

By ‘Connecting the Dots’, Transport and Climate Change Week 2024 created an environment for integrated solutions, ensuring a global perspective and promoting global

transport action. From 4-8 November 2024, the annual event brought together over 1,500 participants from 108 countries in a fully virtual format to explore innovative approaches for sustainable transport. With 77 speakers in 16 sessions, Transport Week emphasised the importance of integrated, global solutions while also addressing regional challenges and opportunities. Organised by the IKI project Mobilize Net-Zero and other partners, key topics included urban mobility, zero emission zones, sustainable aviation fuels, and the electrification of freight and public transport, among others.

Under the theme ‘Connecting the Dots: Fostering Global Transport Climate Action’, Transport Week 2024 focused on four themes:

Spot the dots of regional achievements, stories of change, lessons learned and innovations in our partner countries, and the global transport community.
Connect solutions from local actions to the global level; expert and empirical experiences; innovation and technology; transport with other sectors.
Integrate approaches to improve solutions through lessons learned building long-term strategies towards net zero in the transport sector.
Activate transformation by promoting climate action via a joint message that strengthens commitment and a global network for sustainable transport.

Notable highlights included discussions on gender transformative transport systems, climate adaptation in cities, and the role of innovation and standards in achieving a decarbonised transport sector. The week also featured regional peer learning sessions, where countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America and South-East Europe shared best practices and discussed the role of data in shaping transport policies.

A joint message from the global transport community

Transport Week culminated in a powerful joint message to COP29, calling for sectoral targets, stronger emission reduction frameworks, and a multi-stakeholder approach to sustainable transport. This message, drawn from the outcomes of 16 event sessions, advocates for urgent action and highlights the experiences of those on the ground where the need for transport finance is critical.

The transport sector can be a leader in climate action, but it needs the right support to scale up successful models and practices. Transport finance in the Global South is projected to need around $650 billion per year by 2030 (Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance) to support decarbonisation efforts. Transport Week highlighted that the transition away from fossil fuels cannot happen in isolation – it requires a coordinated, multi-faceted approach, including a shift to zero-emission technologies and stronger policy frameworks to change travel behaviour, reduce unnecessary journeys and shift to low-emission modes.

Continuing the conversation

To accelerate the global transition to sustainable transport, we must act collaboratively. In 2025, ten years after the Paris Agreement was signed, it is ‘Time to be accountable’. Transport and Climate Change Week will bring together a core network of transport and mobility experts in Berlin to assess the state of the transformation, make change visible and understand how to accelerate action. The aim is to refresh the climate commitment in an inclusive and sustainable way setting the global community up for the next decade.

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