Improvement of SUMP-Methodology for Climate Mitigation

The European transport sector is not keeping on track to reach the Paris Climate Goals. Transport's CO2-emissions in the EU increased by one third during the past 30 years. This is diametrically opposed to the EU Commission’s goal of reducing emissions by 55% in 2030 and completely decarbonizing transport by 2050. Since urban mobility accounts for 40% of all CO2 emissions, the question arises on how the EU can achieve its goal to decarbonize these and further create 100 climate neutral cities by 2030. This paper analyses Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMP), promoted by the Commission to solve urban transport problems, and finds major deficits with regard to climate mitigation. The authors propose a reversal of the SUMP methodology by setting climate targets and backcasting in order to identify appropriate measures for climate protection.