On Transport, Tourism and Urbanisation Day at COP29, plans for sustainable transport and tourism took the spotlight.
These plans must integrate workers in decision making in order to reduce emissions, build resilient supply chains, and protect economies and decent jobs through a just transition.
As governments prepare their next climate plans (Nationally Determined Contributions - NDCs) for 2025, the need for ambitious and actionable plans is urgent. Climate finance will also be key to accelerating action plans.
ITF-OECD back sustainable transport just transition
At COP29, the International Transport Forum, an OECD body that represents 69 governments, called on all countries to include plans for sustainable transport with just transition in the next round of NDCs, due by February 2025.
The ITF-OECD launched comprehensive guidance on how nations can integrate just transition for transport workers. This will ensure that transport workers are central to decarbonisation plans.
Speaking at the High-Level Meeting of Transport Ministers on Greening Urban Transport, ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton said:
“Transport is a driver of global trade and national economies, and it is the transport workers who really move the world forward. NDCs are crucial for climate action in transport, and so is a collaborative approach with workers. We need detailed, verifiable commitments in NDCs for both sustainable transport and just transition, with particular attention to urban transport.
“We are pleased that just transition in the spotlight today – joint action by governments, workers and employers is crucial to making transport sustainable.”
Advancing just transition across transport sectors
Transport Day at COP29 also highlighted the importance of sustainable transport in building resilient supply chains, particularly in the face of climate shocks. Transport workers are critical to this resilience, and their voices must shape the planning process.
"Transport workers are a critical piece in the jigsaw of supply chain resilience. Here at COP29, we’ve started discussions with employers and governments about incorporating worker voice into resilience planning to ensure a just transition. By COP30 in Brazil, we need turn these discussions into a concrete agreement,” said Stephen Cotton.
Plans for transport sectors including maritime, aviation and trucking - have put just transition for transport workers on the agenda:
- Maritime: A new call to action to create decent jobs for African seafarers was launched by the UN Climate Champions, which builds on the work of the Maritime Just Transition Task Force.
- Road Transport: The Zero Emissions Vehicles Transition Council (ZEVTC) released an updated road map, for the first time, with recommendations on just transition.
- Aviation: An ITF-OECD report has called for a new global aviation just transition task force involving trade unions, employers, and UN agencies to address key challenges facing workers across the aviation supply chain.
Tourism workers take the stage
For the first time, COP29 featured a dedicated Tourism Day, shedding light on the impact of climate change on tourism workers. Tourism is a climate dependent industry – highly vulnerable to extreme weather events that affect workers health, ability to do their jobs, and livelihoods.
The COP29 Declaration on Enhanced Action in Tourism, part of the Action Agenda Initiatives, must see governments engage in a social dialogue with tourism workers and their unions to address these challenges.
“Tourism workers know that a declaration without engagement with workers will fall short of the action needed to secure sustainable jobs in the tourism sector,” said Cotton. “We will be making our demands of governments and companies clear – action on climate must include workers’ rights and just transition.”
Decarbonisation of transport: urgent action needed
The transport sector is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for 23%1 of energy-related CO2 emissions. The IPCC has highlighted the urgency for transport to decarbonise faster than any other sector, in order to achieve a reduction of 70-80% of emissions below 2015 levels to meet the Paris Agreement commitments to limit warming to 1.5°C.
