Transportation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

This executive summary details a project conducted between October 2002 and December 2004 by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Climate Change and Development Consultants (CC&D), and the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP). The project explored the use of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to promote sustainable development and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Chile's transportation sector, specifically focusing on three case studies in Santiago: bicycle infrastructure, bus technology, and location efficiency.

• In Chile, transportation is the primary source of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and these emissions are expected to nearly double by 2020 if no mitigation measures are implemented.
• Analysis of bicycle infrastructure in Santiago suggests that individual bikeways are not viable as CDM projects under current rules and certified emission reductions (CER) values, whereas a comprehensive network may be more feasible due to higher savings and lower monitoring costs via regional travel data.
• Regarding bus technology in Santiago, the project found that while a methodological framework for the CDM is possible, the marginal return may be too low to attract significant investment, and technology improvements offer lower GHG savings than reducing the number of buses or displacing car trips.
• Location efficiency in Santiago—influencing land patterns to change travel behavior—presents a significant opportunity for emission reductions and co-benefits, but current CER prices are unlikely to offset overall urban development costs.
• Transportation projects under the CDM face significant methodological barriers, particularly regarding 'additionality'. The project recommends that initiatives planned but not yet funded should not be considered 'business as usual' and suggests using committed funding as a measurement for additionality.
• The project concludes that the CDM's project-based structure is ill-suited for major GHG reductions involving fundamental structural changes, such as fuel economy standards or bus rapid transit. It recommends reforming the CDM to allow for sectoral or policy-based activities and metropolitan-level approaches.
• An August 2004 international workshop led to two specific recommendations for Kyoto Protocol Parties: requesting the CDM Executive Board's Methodological Panel to analyze transportation methodologies (including urban land use) and requesting the UNFCCC to host a formal workshop on urban transportation and climate change.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2004). Transportation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/climate_chile_trans_green.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Transportation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. 2004. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/climate_chile_trans_green.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Transportation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions |date=December 2004 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/climate_chile_trans_green.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2004transportation, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Transportation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2004}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/climate_chile_trans_green.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }