From 5 to 6 September, UITP has brought together 40 executives from public transport organizations and networks to discuss key issues in the fight against climate change.
UITP (International Public Transport Association) has held the Public Transport Leaders Forum from 5-6 September in Barcelona. This forum - hosted by the FGC (Catalan, Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya) - welcomed more than forty public transport managers from over 23 countries to discuss key issues characterizing the fight against climate change.
In Ricard Font's words, president of FGC, "This is a very important forum given the urgency of the climate crisis, there is no longer a way to hide it or avoid it. (...) We need a broader vision and we need to take action. We can address the problem of air pollution and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals."
In its second edition, the Forum also welcomed the Secretary General of UCLG, Emilia Saiz, who stressed the significance of the fact that the IPCC (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has considered local and regional governments as relevant actors in the fight against climate change. "International awareness is emerging and UITP and UCLG are working together andwill be stronger at the international level."
Emilia Saiz also reminded the importance of including the voices of intermediate cities in the climate change debate. "Large cities may find solutions that mitigate problems temporarily, but there is a system of cities and that is what we have to address". She also stressed the importance of the IPCC (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) considering local and regional governments as relevant actors in the fight against climate change.
During the second part of the forum, a workshop was facilitated by climate change expert Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, who reinforced the message of urgency of change. Speaking of the role of public transport in protecting the "thin" atmosphere, he said: "We need an efficient use of energy in a broad sense, using renewable energy, but also applying systematic changes in urban mobility.
During the second day of the forum, a special session was held by the climate change expert, Jean-Pascal van Ypersele. Besides transmitting a message of urgency, regarding the role of public transport in protecting the "thin" atmosphere he stated: - "We need an efficient use of energy in a broad sense, using renewable energy but also applying systematic changes in urban mobility."
Representatives and leaders of cities and networks from Singapore, Germany, Chile, Ireland, Switzerland, Australia, Portugal, UK, Spain also had the opportunity to share their real-world experiences in the transition to zero emission public transport.
For more pictures of the event visit our flickr album.
