Sustainable Transportation Systems and Climate Change in Developing Countries with Special Reference to India
Anil Maan
*
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Delhi Technological University (DTU), Delhi– 110042, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Concerns regarding climate change necessitate the prompt implementation of appropriate policy interventions and structural reforms aimed at safeguarding and sustaining economic activity within the transport sector. In particular, there is a growing imperative for coordinated action that both mitigates environmental impacts and ensures the long-term resilience and efficiency of transport systems, given their critical role in supporting broader economic development. India's transport sector has emerged as one of the foremost climate and public-health challenges of the twenty-first century. Road transport alone contributes 12 per cent of India's energy-related CO₂ emissions, and the sector's greenhouse gas (GHG) output is expanding faster than any other segment of the national economy. Against the backdrop of India's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target to reduce the emission intensity of GDP by 45 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 and its net-zero commitment by 2070, this paper undertakes a systematic empirical analysis of the nexus between sustainable transportation and climate change mitigation in a rapidly urbanising developing country. Drawing on data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), NITI Aayog, and peer-reviewed literature (2015–2025), the study examines: (i) the magnitude and trajectory of transport-sector GHG emissions; (ii) co-pollutant air-quality impacts on urban populations; (iii) progress and gaps in electric-vehicle (EV) deployment; (iv) the performance of mass rapid transit (MRT) systems; and (v) policy pathways to sustainable mobility. Key findings reveal that while EV registrations grew eleven-fold—from 1.30 million in 2018 to 15.29 million by 2023—they constituted only 7.6 per cent of total new-vehicle sales in 2024, far below the national target of 30 per cent by 2030. India's metro network, the world's third largest at 1,013 km across 23 cities by 2025, carries over 11.2 million daily passengers but falls well short of projected ridership in many corridors. Average annual PM₂.₅ concentrations of 54.4 µg/m³ in 2023—more than ten times the WHO guideline—underscore the urgency of modal shift. The paper concludes with a multi-pronged policy framework encompassing stricter fuel-economy standards, accelerated fleet electrification, integrated multimodal transit, and green urban-freight reforms, offering transferable lessons for other developing economies confronting the intersection of climate commitments and mobility needs.
Keywords: Sustainable transportation, climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, electric vehicles, mass rapid transit, urban air quality, decarbonisation