How can Washington, DC, Monterrey, Birmingham, and Barcelona, Texas researchers help the climate transition in Latin America and the Caribbean?
Climate transition is a significant challenge for developed and developing countries. Under the UN framework, countries must submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to reduce emissions. In 2025, countries will be able to update their NDCs with more concrete and updated targets.
Transportation can be a key contributor to the climate transition, representing 25% to 40% of total emissions in each country. The transportation sector is a key driver for the transition to lower-carbon economies.
How can we make this transition happen?
Commitments are key, but how do we materialize them into policies—and, most importantly, policies that can be implemented and show actual results? How should we address the policy challenges to transition towards a low-carbon economy in the transportation sector?
The third meeting of the Transport Policy Lab took place in Monterrey, Mexico, in April of this year. Launched in 2023 by the IDB’s Transport Division, the initiative gathered top universities from around the world. It aims to create a network of applied research and projects to expedite the implementation of transportation policies, promote the decarbonization of transport, and improve the sector’s key role in terms of access, equity, and economic development.
Inspired by experiences in Europe, the US, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia, the Policy Lab is founded on three objectives:
- Strengthening networks, collaborations, and partnerships between the IDB, academia, and the public and private sectors.
- Providing accumulated expertise and research for policy formulation in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
- Deep understanding of policy problems and design of solutions that are evidence-based and effectively implemented.
The third meeting was hosted by Tecnológico de Monterrey (Tec Monterrey) with the participation of the University of Birmingham (UK), University of Barcelona (Spain), Unicamp (Brazil), Pennsylvania State University (USA), and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
Here are examples of projects presented during the session, addressing issues relevant to efficient and sustainable transport:
Tec de Monterrey
“Walking to School in Latin America” was a project presented by Professor Aleksandra Krstikj from Tec de Monterrey’s School of Architecture and Urbanism. Involving the University of EAFIT in Medellín, Tec de Monterrey, and the Instituto ProMorar in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, the project emphasizes researching the plight of vulnerable individuals, specifically children who perform the largest share of walking trips among demographics in Latin America. The aim is to identify children’s perceptions of space, areas they feel comfortable, and areas they avoid. Understanding how adults and children differ on the ideal city concept should guide better public policies and investments, while also promoting walking as a healthy, affordable, and efficient mode of transportation.
University of Birmingham
Marcelo Blumenfeld, Assistant Professor of Future Transport Systems at the University of Birmingham, UK, outlined the main objectives of the university’s transport research:
- Applying systems to complex transport challenges.
- Transforming current research practices to understand the realities of developing countries properly.
- Addressing transport issues.
One highlighted project, “Accelerating Just Transitions to Clean Mobility in Latin American Countries,” is in partnership discussions with the IDB and other universities, including Tec de Monterrey.
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute, a state-owned agency in Texas, USA, focuses on transport innovation projects. The Institute has conducted research in all 50 US states and 52 countries. Mario Monsreal, a research scientist at the Institute, mentioned the “Adoption of Technology for Supply Chain Performance” project in partnership with the IDB. This project aims to raise awareness in both the public and private sectors about the benefits of adopting IoT technology to improve supply chain performance sustainably.
Unicamp – University of Campinas
Henrique Candido de Oliveira, a professor and part of the Transport and Logistics Laboratory at Unicamp in Campinas, Brazil, presented a project on mobility in the Amazon. “The research aims to use case studies to identify vulnerabilities in the Amazon region’s transport network,” said Oliveira, noting the collaboration with the IDB on this work.
The Policy Lab is consolidating as an important space for tackling difficult policy problems and connecting the academy with governments to make changes happen!
We will have more news to share at the next meeting, which will be held in the fall. In the meantime, you can access some of the policy lab’s projects and news in the links below.
- Transport Decarbonization Policy Lab: Policies for Accelerating the Decarbonization of Transport
- Safe, Sustainable, and Inclusive School Mobility Policy Laboratory
- Revitalization of Railway in Jamaica
Guest Author
Fabiana Santos
Journalist specializing in written journalism, TV, and social media. Master in Intercultural Relations. Consultant for the IDB and editor-in-chief of Portuguese for the International Journalists Network.
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