Potential for Transition to Low-Carbon Urban Road Transport in Developing Countries: Insights from Literature

Abstract

It is projected that if no actions are taken to cut down the current rate of global warming, global temperatures will rise to irreversible levels between the years 2030 and 2050. Consequently, climate-induced risks to health, livelihoods, food and water supply/security, economic development, and human security will increase. However, although many efforts have been put in the developed nations to enhance sustainability in cities through the development of a Low-carbon transportation system, the situation is different in the developing nations. These countries are, for some reason, reluctant to adopt the concept of Low-carbon cities. For example, in Kenya, despite the evident climate threat associated with rising urban carbon emissions in the country, very little action to curb the emissions is observed both at individual and government levels. This is especially so in the transport sector. Therefore, it is critical that suitable low-carbon transition pathways are identified and adopted in the sector in order to cut down the emission levels. Although the transition to low-carbon transport is faced with a myriad of challenges, transitions bring about an enormousness of environmental and societal benefits through the development of environmentally sustainable systems. Policy instruments are governance tools that can be used to enhance the environmental sustainability of urban transport options. However, climate change targets cannot be realistically attained by a single policy instrument. Instead, research indicates the need for more integrative and strong policy packages that can stimulate low-carbon transitions. In view of this, there is a clear need for the envisioning of sustainable future cities and potential transition pathways towards the realisation of these futures, as it is considered advantageous to various disciplines. This study provides information that can be used to develop an integrated urban transportation system that is environmentally sustainable and which efficiently incorporates all modes of transport; based on the theory of transitional management