Top transport officials from 21 major countries agreed in Tokyo today to promote the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in the sector to combat climate change, aiming to drive talks under a broader UN framework.
Shipping, airline and inland transport, which together contribute over 20 per cent of total CO2 emissions, will be a key part of a new UN climate pact that about 190 nations will try to agree on at the year-end as a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
The officials, including ministers from the European Union, Australia and Russia, met in Tokyo for a three-day meeting that ended today. Malaysia attended as an observer, while China, now believed to be the world's top greenhouse gas polluter, pulled out at the last minute.
"It is the first ministerial declaration ever and it was from major countries that account for about 70 percent of CO2 emissions from the global transport sector," said Japanese transport minister Kazuyoshi Kaneko, who chaired the meeting."It is quite important to send a message that we have the political will (to address the transport sector)."
Despite concerns among many developing countries that efforts to fight climate change will undermine economic growth, the officials agreed they could seek a low-carbon, low-pollution future for the transport sector while ensuring sustainable growth.
The ministerial statement said the countries recognise the need for the transport sector to act on CO2 emissions and air pollutants, which would also result in energy savings as well as health and safety benefits.
Mr Kaneko said it was disappointing that China, which had insisted that the ministerial statement exclude emissions cut measures for developing countries and that rich nations lead the charge in lowering emissions, did not attend, though he did not think it affected the value of the meeting.
Inland transport accounts for the biggest chunk of emissions from the overall transport sector, which is expected to grow further amid rising demand for cars, goods and travel in developing countries.
Airlines contribute about 2 per cent of global CO2 emissions while shipping accounts for about 3 per cent. Given the global nature of the aviation and shipping sectors, an international organisation for each sector is also holding separate talks apart from the nation-based post-Kyoto discussions.