Y4PT #iCOmmit₂ World Campaign
Taking Personal Action to Reduce Transport Carbon Footprint

In the spirit of 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21), Youth for Public Transport (Y4PT) is asking each of you, to participate in the Y4PT #iCOmmit2 World Campaign, inspired by a sister initiative called #BreathableCities in the framework of #HealthyMobility,  to make a commitment to reduce your own CO2 emissions from transport while you travel.

World leaders will gather in Paris (France, Europe) from the 30th of November to the 11th of December in order to address the challenge of climate change. Each country will bring to the table its own commitments to reduce greenhouse gases (including CO2), which contribute to global warming and climate change on Earth.

Y4PT is a UITP Foundation believing young people can change transport habits, our cities and the world. We believe that the solution to climate change must come from governments, but also from each person.

For this reason, Y4PT is launching a worldwide campaign. We are calling for each of you around the world – either you are young or not – to present your INDIVIDUAL COMMITMENT for reducing personal CO2 emissions by switching to more sustainable means of transport.

How to get involved

1. Think about the way you move around your city, going to school, work, meeting friends and family. Use both Google Maps and Google Calculator to measure the distance you travel for each trip. Then, total all distances to obtain the final length (km) that you travel by using every mean of transport during a typical 7-day week.

For example, you use a car from home to a metro station (5 km). Then, you take the metro (25 km) and ride on a bus (2 km) to reach your office. You go to the gym by bus (3 km) twice per week. You go by car (30 km) to the mall on the weekend.

So, you travel by car: 5 km to the metro station twice (back and forth); 5 times per week; plus 30 km to the mall twice (back and forth) = 50 km + 60 km = 110 km/week.

So, you travel by using public transport: 25 km by train twice (back and forth); 5 times per week; plus 2 km by bus twice (back and forth); 5 times per week; plus 3 km by bus twice (back and forth); 2 times = 250 km by train + 20 km by bus + 12 km by bus= 250 km/week by train and 32 km/week by bus.

2. Think about changing your transport habits (such as switching from driving to walking, cycling and using public transport) which will reduce your emissions, and, for sure, will keep you healthy.

For example, you ride on a bicycle to the metro station instead of driving a car (50 km/week less by car), and you jog to the gym instead of taking the bus (12 km/week less by bus).

3. Use the carbon footprint calculator below and estimate your CO2 emissions in a typical 7-day week for 3 scenarios:

a) Non-sustainable Scenario: Calculate your CO2 footprint as if always you were using car only.

For example, 110 km + 282 km =392 km/week using a car, so 0,09 tonnes of CO2. 

b) Current Scenario: Calculate your CO2 footprint by involving all means of transport you employ at present.

For example, 110 km by car, 250 km/week by metro and 32 km/week by bus, so 0,04 tonnes of CO2.

c) Commitment Scenario: Calculate your CO2 footprint by switching from your today’s transport habits to more sustainable ones.

For example, 110 km – 50 km = 60 km by car, 250 km/week by metro and 32 km -12 km = 20 km/week by bus, so 0,03 tonnes of CO2.

4. Fill out the commitment statement form to indicate your estimated CO2 emissions reduction in a typical 7-day week, and a short sentence on how you plan to do so.

For example, 0,09 tonnes of CO2 at the Non-sustainable Scenario; 0,04 tonnes of CO2 at the Current Scenario; and 0,03 tonnes of CO2 at the Commitment Scenario.

Y4PT will collect your submissions up to the 30th of November 2015. Just as world leaders gather in Paris, we will present our COLLECTIVE COMMITMENT – that is, how much CO2 emissions we pledge to save over the coming year 2016 by switching to more sustainable transport choices.

The presentation on the survey results will take place at the PPMC Side Event on Transport and Youth at the COP21 Civil Society Zone (Green Area).

        

Y4PT helps Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) with iCOmmit2!

Y4PT is pleased to announce that among all the people who have filled out the survey, her/his offset will be randomly chosen (by raffling off) and on behalf of this person, the amount of money saved by the will of changing his/her mobility habits (i.e. monetizing transport-related carbon footprint reduction), will be gifted to our fellow NGO Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and particularly to an hospital related to curing respiratory diseases, in line with our #BreathableCities World Campaign.

Y4PT is pleased to give this donation to a big clinic in Kenya, in the largest bidonville of Africa, in Kibera, south from Nairobi. In 2013, MSF has opened this new medical center in order to give assistance to a population of 1 million people living on an area of 2.5 km2. MSF is the only provider of free healthcare in this highly-dense settlement. Poor hygiene and sanitation conditions cause illnesses such as respiratory infections, and other related diseases, which amount to over 60 per cent of all consultations at MSF’s existing facilities in Kibera.

Follow up the Y4PT #iCOmmit2 World Campaign on social networking/media websites ( https://www.y4pt.org/social-networks/ ) such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Instagram by using the hashtag #iCOmmit2 .

Don’t forget to share with us your individual commitment on Internet: for instance, tweeting…

#iCOmmit2 reduce my weekly #CarbonFootprint from ___ to ___ tones of #CO2 . I #TakeAction now! @Y4PT

#iCOmmit2 because I do really care about #ClimateChange . I #TakeAction now! @Y4PT

Further information on the Y4PT #iCOmmit2 World Campaign, please contact: Alfonso LETÓN, Chapter General Coordinator, Y4PT France in Paris, Youth For Public Transport (Y4PT) Foundation – alfonso.leton(at)y4pt.org .