An open letter, led by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) and a global coalition of pro-cycling organisations, was sent to global governments urging them to cut transport emissions by investing in cycling. ICLEI recently joined the chorus of over 250 signatories who have pledged their support for this call.

The letter calls on governments at COP26 to commit to significantly increasing the number of people who cycle in their countries in order to reach climate goals quickly and effectively. Today (10 November) is Transport Day at COP26, which is set to focus almost exclusively on the electrification of road vehicles. With strong, global support for the critical role of cycling in sustainable transport, governments and transport ministers will be under pressure to take cycling into account when negotiating climate commitments.

With global temperatures rising, humanity cannot afford to wait decades for fossil-fuel cars to be fully phased-out and replaced by electric vehicles. To quickly cut transport emissions on a massive scale, governments need to invest in much more cycling now. Cycling produces zero emissions, delivers far-reaching positive societal impacts and relies on technology that is already widely available.

"Governments at all levels can set a strong and urgent direction by investing more in liveable communities and providing the infrastructure changes needed to increase cycling. Only through a mobility culture change can our COP climate goals be met," explains Reggie Tricker, Senior Officer at ICLEI Europe working on sustainable mobility and transport.

In addition to advocating for change via this open letter, ICLEI Europe is organising a COP26 side event, hosted at the German Pavilion, on: "From Mission to Action: U-turn to sustainable mobility". Participants are encouraged to join this hybrid session online or in-person tomorrow, 11 November, at 18:30 CET (17:30 local time in Glasgow) to continue to push this conversation forward. Register for the session here.

Furthermore, ICLEI Europe is dedicated to leading by example, working directly with communities to boost cycling. ICLEI is a key partner delivering the CIVITAS Initiative, an EU-funded action that fosters sustainable and accessible mobility systems in cities. ICLEI is also a leading partner in specific projects, such as Handshake and FastTrack, which convene cities and experts, using mentorship and peer-support to make higher bicycle use a reality.

For more information, read the open letter to governments at COP26 at: www.cop26cycling.com, and register to join tomorrow's COP26 side event by clicking here.

The open letter is still open for new signatories. If you represent a non-profit, NGO or association that is pro-cycling, sign the letter today.