Search Climate Insights Directory
104 results
Urban Mobility Lab Pune
The Urban Mobility Lab in Pune, hosted by the Pune Municipal Corporation and Rocky Mountain Institute in October 2018, served as a collaborative platform for government, industry, and civil society to design integrated mobility solutions. This initiative follows the 'Lighthouse City' concept proposed by NITI Aayog and RMI to create test-beds for transformative mobility in India, aiming to shift the country toward a shared, clean, and people-centric mobility future.
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Document type: Report
CRESCIMENTO ECONÔMICO MAIS SUSTENTÁVEL PARA O BRASIL
The report argues that Brazil can align its economic growth with climate commitments by increasing agricultural productivity on degraded lands, diversifying its energy matrix with renewables, and improving transport infrastructure. It concludes that the financial returns of climate-friendly investments will outweigh the costs, with specific opportunities to double agricultural production without further deforestation and reduce total energy system costs through decarbonization.
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Document type: Executive summary
Understanding TNCs’ Impact on Cities - RMI
RMI retracts definitive conclusions about the impact of transportation network companies (TNCs) on cities, citing significant data uncertainty regarding load factors and deadheading.
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Document type: Statement
Parking: Reflections for growing and developing cities
The document examines how parking policies, particularly minimum parking requirements, incentivise private car use and increase greenhouse gas emissions. It contrasts these with maximum parking requirements and effective management strategies seen in Pasadena, Portland, and London, suggesting that South Africa update its 1985 standards to promote sustainable transport.
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Document type: Briefing
Bhopal Introduces India’s First Fully Automated Bicycle Sharing System with Dedicated Lanes
Bhopal launched India's first fully automated public bicycle sharing (PBS) system in June 2017, featuring 500 bicycles, 60 docking stations, and 11 kilometers of segregated bike lanes. Developed with support from WRI India and the Bhopal Municipal Corporation through a public-private partnership, the system aims to integrate with the Bhopal Bus Rapid Transit System to address the 'last-mile problem'. In its first five months, the system registered over 25,000 users, more than half of whom are women. There are plans to expand the dedicated bike lane network to over 50 kilometers.
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Document type: Case study
Active transportation needs a federal champion
The authors advocate for a federal champion for active transportation in Canada, citing significant health benefits, such as reducing chronic disease and premature deaths, and environmental benefits, including the reduction of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. They propose several federal actions, including creating a dedicated infrastructure fund and establishing a modal share goal.
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Document type: Statement
Ülevaade erakondade keskkonnalubadustest valimisplatvormides Eesti 2017. aasta kohalike omavalitsuste volikogude valimistel
The report analyzes environmental pledges from seven parties and two alliances for the 2017 Estonian local elections. It finds a strong focus on urban mobility—specifically cycling and public transport—in Tallinn and Tartu, but a general lack of comprehensive strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. While some parties like the Social Democrats (SDE) and the Greens (Rohelised) provided more detailed environmental sections, the report notes a recurring conflict between promises to increase parking/road infrastructure and the goal of preserving urban green spaces. Nationally, platforms focused more on regional development and organic farming than on specific climate targets.
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Document type: Report
A CONSORTIUM APPROACH TO TRANSIT DATA INTEROPERABILITY
The report argues that interoperable transit data is essential for the realization of 'mobility as a service' (MaaS), which allows users to seamlessly combine various transportation modes. It identifies significant barriers to this goal, including poor data quality, a lack of standardization for ride-hailing and car-sharing, and misaligned incentives. The authors estimate that achieving full data interoperability could boost ridership of alternative transportation by 5% to 10%, representing a market opportunity of $3 billion to $6 billion in the U.S. To address these challenges, the report proposes the formation of a cross-industry consortium to establish and maintain data standards and innovate in user-interface design and payment technology.
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Document type: Report
Treading low-carbon pathways toward sustainability: The experience of Bogor City
The document details Bogor City's transition toward a low-carbon development trajectory from 2013 to 2016. By utilizing the GreenClimateCities framework, the city established a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and integrated low-emission development strategies (LEDS) into its Regional Medium Term Development Plan for 2015–19. Key initiatives include the revitalization of the Transpakuan bus rapid transit system using compressed natural gas, a 'Walkability Campaign' to expand pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and streetlight retrofitting. The case emphasizes the necessity of political leadership, technical coordination, and international peer-to-peer learning to move from planning to implementation.
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Document type: Case study
Key Research Themes: Urban Mobility
The document assesses research on urban transport pricing and regulation, noting a gap in understanding how these policies affect land use and the wider urban economy compared to their impact on traffic. It argues that the most urgent research need is the design of consistently structured policy packages that are financially sustainable and politically acceptable.
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Document type: Research paper
ENERGY POLICY SOLUTIONS
Energy Innovation presents a set of 15 targeted policies across economy-wide, industrial, transportation, power, building, and land-use sectors. These policies, modeled via the Energy Policy Simulator, aim to reduce emissions and save the U.S. approximately $840 billion between 2016 and 2030 while positioning the country as a leader in clean energy technology.
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Document type: Report
Keeping cities green: Avoiding carbon lock-in due to urban development
The paper examines how urban development decisions regarding buildings and transport infrastructure can 'lock in' future greenhouse gas emissions. By comparing a reference scenario with an aggressive 'urban action' scenario, the authors estimate that urban policy-makers can avoid committing approximately 45 Gt CO2 of cumulative future emissions by 2030 through energy-efficient technologies and compact urban design. The analysis emphasizes that current infrastructure already commits roughly 800 Gt CO2, meaning the 1,000 Gt CO2 global carbon budget for limiting warming to 2°C could be exceeded before 2020 if current trends continue.
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Document type: Research paper
Who Needs Cars? Smart Mobility Can Make Cities Sustainable
The authors contend that current 'business-as-usual' urbanization, characterized by car-oriented infrastructure, leads to high greenhouse gas emissions, economic losses from congestion, and safety risks. They advocate for 'smart urban mobility'—which combines technology with coordinated planning—to 'leapfrog' car-centric development. Examples of successful interventions include Mexico City's Metrobús BRT, Beijing's low emission zone, and Medellín's Metrocable. The document highlights 2015 as a pivotal year due to the finalization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, upcoming climate negotiations, and the UN Decade of Action on Road Safety.
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Document type: Statement
WORKING TOGETHER WITH CITIES TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
The Measuring Up 2015 report analyzes climate action across 116 US local governments, representing approximately 14% of the US population. It finds that achieving these cities' 2050 emissions goals would be equivalent to shutting down 86 coal-fired power plants. The report highlights the success of cities like Atlanta, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, and Portland, noting that strong government leadership, supportive state policies, and private sector partnerships are critical for success. It argues that while local actions are significant, they require an enabling national policy framework, including strong power plant regulations and carbon pricing, to reach their full potential.
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Document type: Report
Integrating climate change in the post-2015 development agenda
The document argues that climate change and development are inextricably linked, as climate impacts threaten to undermine poverty eradication and sustainable development goals. It suggests that the post-2015 framework should be 'climate-smart,' incorporating targets that simultaneously address poverty, low-carbon development, and resilience. The briefing explores two primary integration options: mainstreaming climate-related targets across various goal areas or establishing a stand-alone climate change goal. It highlights that people living in poverty are disproportionately affected by climate change, particularly through impacts on agriculture, water security, health, and infrastructure. The document concludes that the success of the post-2015 agenda depends on its ability to foster policy coherence and encourage private sector and sub-national engagement.
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Document type: Briefing
Reducing climate risk: Climate change mitigation and bioenergy
The document details SEI's multi-scale approach to climate mitigation, focusing on sub-national policy for cities, the necessity of limiting fossil-fuel infrastructure to meet the 2°C target, and the strategic use of modern bioenergy in developing countries. It highlights the use of the LEAP system for low-carbon planning and describes ongoing efforts to integrate social variables into technical climate analysis.
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Document type: Briefing
ALTERNATIVE TRAJECTORIES FOR DECARBONIZING URBAN TRANSPORTATION
The document argues that without major intervention, transportation carbon emissions will double by 2050. It identifies a combination of reduced passenger car demand, improved vehicle efficiency, increased electric vehicle adoption, and a decarbonized electricity grid (via renewables, nuclear, or CCS) as the necessary path to significant reductions. A case study based on a Spanish city with 360,000 inhabitants demonstrates that while modal shifts and fuel switches (like CNG or biodiesel) offer modest gains, the most aggressive reductions occur when these are paired with a transition to nuclear or CCS-equipped power generation.
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Document type: Policy brief
Decarbonising urban transportation
The research paper evaluates strategies to decarbonise urban transportation, focusing on modal shifts, fuel switching, and electricity decarbonisation. Using a Spanish urban area as a model, it finds that aggressive measures—including a 50% reduction in car demand, improved fuel economy, and a shift to nuclear or CCS-equipped power—are necessary to significantly lower emissions and health burdens from particulate matter.
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Document type: Research paper
Climate Technology & Development Case study: Bus Rapid Transit
The document examines Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as a cost-effective, low-carbon alternative to private car-based transport in rapidly growing cities. It details the hardware and software components of BRT, analyzes the value chain and organizational roles (owner, manager, and asset manager), and discusses the political economy challenges, such as resistance from informal transport operators and car owners. The report emphasizes that while BRT is a mature technology, its success depends on local context, institutional capability, and integration with broader transport networks.
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Document type: Case study
Transport and Environment in Sub-Saharan Africa
The document examines the environmental and social challenges of transport in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the rise in urban air pollution, high road fatality rates, and increasing traffic congestion. It argues that current policies favor automobiles over vulnerable populations and recommends an 'avoid, shift, improve' strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve accessibility and safety for all citizens.
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Document type: Policy brief