Urban transport and climate change mitigation options to minimize Greenhouse Gas emissions and to promote sustainable use of public transport in Kigali, Rwanda

Abstract

The study aimed at identifying urban transport and climate change mitigation options to minimize Greenhouse Gas emissions and to promote sustainable use of public transport in Kigali, Rwanda. Extreme climate events such as floods, drought, cyclones, and hurricanes to name a few are the indicators of climate change. Climate change is caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases for a period of time. Worldwide, the transport sector emits an important share of greenhouse gases, especially transport in urban areas. In the period between 2006 and 2012 Rwanda recorded higher greenhouse gas removals compared to emissions due to AFOLU (agriculture, forest, and land use). However, in the period between 2013 and 2015 Rwanda recorded a rapid increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to economic growth and change in the way of life. The government of Rwanda adopted the fleet policy in July 2014 to reorganize public transport and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Conversely, public transport still faced challenges such as rapid population growth, traffic increase with inadequate bus service, lack of bus priority lanes, traffic prioritization, and lack of real-time passenger information system. These challenges, to name a few, slowed down the use of public transport in Kigali city. However, according to Rwanda’s national communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by REMA emissions in the transport sector have been increasing tremendously for the past few years. The study used a mixed-method approach to generate both quantitative and qualitative data. Three different methods, namely, IPCC Tier 1 methodology (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), documentary analysis, and key informants were used. IPCC inventory software was used to estimate GHG emissions. The fuel economy used in the software was estimated based on Vehicle Kilometer Travelled (VKT) and vehicle number. The results showed that the total greenhouse gas emissions from Kigali’s public transport were 45.26 Gg in C02 equivalent in 2012 and 2019 had doubled to 98.92 Gg in C02 equivalent. Also, the results showed that motorcycles were major contributors to GHG emissions under public transport followed by buses. Besides, the study identified climate change mitigation options and transport policy, such as fiscal policy, pricing policy, and dedicated bus lane. The findings of this study are anticipated to contribute to the development of next Rwanda's national communication under the UNFCCC. Additionally, the results will contribute to the implementation of Rwanda's Updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for climate change mitigation.