India, currently the most populous country globally and the fourth-largest economy, is at a crucial juncture in achieving decarbonisation. At the core is its transport sector, which is responsible for about 14% of the country’s direct energy-related emissions.

The Road Safety Annual Report 2023 provides an overview of road safety performance for the 43 countries participating in the International Transport Forum’s permanent working group on road safety, known as the IRTAD Group.

The annual number of road traffic deaths dropped by 5 per cent to 1.19 million per year, according to this latest Global Status Report on Road Safety by the World Health Organization, even as the numbers continue to rise in India.

With increased urbanization and economic growth, cities across the world must find ways to meet urban mobility demands while ensuring transportation is affordable and emissions that contribute to climate change are limited.

he path to low-carbon urban transport looks fundamentally different in developed and developing countries. Most cities in developing countries have not yet developed their land use and transportation infrastructure around cars, leaving a window of opportunity to chart a new path to low-carbon, efficient and inclusive urban transport.

To address the myriad challenges posed by global climate change, countries at all income levels have put in place a diverse set of policies over the past three decades.

Nepal, as a signatory of the Paris Agreement, filed its second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2020. The NDC set a target for the adaptation of electric vehicles in the country’s public transport sector.

Clean and affordable public transportation can lower carbon emissions, improve urban air quality, and enable economic development. India’s G20 presidency can leverage the country’s National Electric Bus Programme to serve as a model that can be replicated across emerging market and developing economies.

Transitioning to electric mobility in public transport is one of the policy options to reduce vehicle emissions in cities and dependence on fossil fuel for transport operations.