Sec. 206. International cooperation regarding clean transportation and sustainable land use and community development
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Congress finds the following: Agriculture, forestry, and other land use accounted for 24 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions during 2010, which— is caused primarily from agriculture (cultivation of crops and livestock) and deforestation; and does not take into account the carbon dioxide that ecosystems remove from the atmosphere by sequestering carbon in biomass, dead organic matter, and soils, which offset approximately 20 percent of emissions from this sector. The transportation sector accounts for 14 percent of global gas emissions and 28 percent of the United States greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s report, National Mitigation Potential from Natural Climate Solutions in the Tropics — better land stewardship is needed to achieve the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal of holding the increase of global average temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius, particularly in the tropics; as countries enhance their nationally determined contributions, confusion persists about the potential contribution of better land stewardship to meeting such goal; in 50 percent of the tropical countries, cost-effective natural climate solutions could mitigate more than 50 percent of national emissions; in more than 25 percent of the tropical countries, cost effective natural climate solutions potential is greater than national emissions; and natural climate solutions can transform national economies and contribute to sustainable development goals.
According to the International Energy Agency— global transport emissions increased by less than 0.5 percent in 2019 (compared with an average annual increase of 1.9 percent since 2000), owing to efficiency improvements, electrification, and greater use of biofuels; transportation is responsible for 24 percent of direct carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion; electric car deployment has grown rapidly since 2010, with the global stock of electric passenger cars passing 5,000,000 in 2018 (an increase of 63 percent from the previous year); in 2018— approximately 45 percent of all electric cars on the road were in China; approximately 24 percent of such cars were in Europe; and approximately 22 percent of such cars were in the United States; existing measures to increase efficiency and reduce energy demand must be deepened and extended for compliance with the Sustainable Development Scenario of the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Model; prior to the COVID–19 pandemic, emissions from aviation and shipping were increasing faster than all other transportation modes; and energy demand and emissions have continued to rise in all modes of road transport (cars, trucks, buses, and 2- and 3-wheelers), particularly in heavy-duty road freight transport, which account for 75 percent of global transportation sector emissions.
The worldwide market share of sport utility vehicles rose 15 percentage points between 2014 and 2019, and now comprises 40 percent of the global light-duty vehicle market. China is the world’s largest automobile market, with more than 23,700,000 light vehicles sold in China in 2018. As China’s road network rapidly continues to expand, the number of vehicle miles traveled per capita will most likely lead to growth in China’s transportation sector carbon dioxide emissions. Even with India’s advancement of policies to promote electric vehicles and biofuels— India relies heavily on oil, and comprises 29 percent of India’s total energy consumption; prior to the COVID–19 pandemic, India was the world’s fastest growing aviation market, with passenger numbers for domestic and international flights doubling since 2010;
India is planning to build 100 new airports between 2020 and 2035, and industry analysts have projected up to 520,000,000 Indian air travelers annually by 2037; and the World Health Organization reports that 15 of the cities worldwide with the worst air pollution are in India, largely due to urban vehicle emissions. In 2013, Mexico became the first vehicle market in Latin America to establish fuel economy or carbon dioxide emissions standards. The Department of State, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency do not have a program in place to encourage other countries to adopt standards that are compatible with United States fuel economy and emissions standards.
Many countries adopt European emissions standards rather than United States standards, in part because of European diplomatic engagement, disadvantaging United States automakers in international markets. It is the policy of the United States to partner, consult, and coordinate with foreign governments, civil society, international financial institutions, subnational communities, agribusiness and automobile industry leaders, and the private sector in a concerted effort— to raise awareness of— the greenhouse gas emission contributions from agriculture, forestry, other land uses, and the transportation sector to the annual total of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions globally; and the importance of working cooperatively on the development of multi-faceted and country specific policies and strategies— to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, forestry, other land uses, and the transportation sector; and to promote economic growth, opportunities, sustainable land management, and equitable access to mobility, transportation services, and resources among all populations; to mitigate land use sector emissions through enhanced land use planning, sustainable agriculture practices, sustainable forest management, and community-led conservation and development and other natural climate solutions; to use the voice and vote of the United States in multilateral institutions to advance international efforts to advance sustainable land-use planning, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable forest management, and community-led conservation and development; to improve the reliability and sustainability of transportation systems, particularly in developing countries, through a focus on mitigating carbon emissions, improving health and safety outcomes through improved land use and community design, and improved mobility for all populations; to promote collaboration regarding international research and development in— zero-emission vehicles; sustainable urban development and smart growth; and advanced low carbon biofuels for transportation; to facilitate and support the ability of parties to the Paris Agreement to more accurately monitor, record, and report transportation sector emissions; to develop greater cooperation among parties for strengthening the rules and ambition of the Paris Agreement’s mitigation targets for transportation sector emissions; to improve the structural integrity of critical transportation infrastructure to withstand current and forecasted effects of climate change and support community resilience, improved access to jobs, and adaptability to the effects of climate change; and to explore new opportunities or seek enhanced initiatives within existing multilateral and bilateral agreements to develop mechanisms and policies for reducing transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions.
In implementing the policy described in subsection (b), the President should direct the United States representatives to appropriate international bodies to use the influence of the United States, consistent with the broad foreign policy goals of the United States, to advocate that each such body— promote transportation sector investment in— electric vehicles and other low and zero carbon transportation technologies; and sustainable land use development that incorporates— multi-modal transportation designs aimed at reducing— traffic congestion; carbon emissions from motor vehicles; travel times between high volume destinations within a community; vehicle crashes and other threats to motorist and pedestrian safety; and stormwater runoff from impervious road surfaces, vehicle conflicts with wildlife, habitat destruction, and other forms of environmental degradation commonly associated with roads and motor vehicles; multi-use community designs and dense development that accounts for locating residential development near essential goods, services, and job opportunities (to reduce individual reliance of motorized personal transportation); and transportation systems designed— to maximize the safety of all users; and to reduce the probability of motorized vehicle crashes, including motorized vehicle crashes that injure or kill pedestrians and bicyclists; strive to improve mobility by advancing equitable access to transportation services among all populations, particularly historically underserved or marginalized populations and communities; improve environmental quality and community health outcomes through— safer and more efficient multi-modal transportation systems that reduce vehicle pollution and congestion; reductions in the amount of impervious surfaces; and integration of safe pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure; addresses unique transportation and economic needs of countries’ diverse populations and communities in ways that also support a country’s achievement of ambitious greenhouse gas mitigation commitments; enhance coordination and engagement with private sector stakeholders; provide technical assistance to foreign regulatory authorities and governments to remove barriers to investment in transportation systems, infrastructure and electric vehicles and low and zero carbon fuels; and use clear, accountable, and metric-based targets to measure the effectiveness of such projects. 2 Emissions Diplomacy Initiative The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall develop a Vehicle Fuel Economy and CO 2 Emissions Diplomacy Initiative to promote the worldwide adoption of vehicle fuel economy and vehicle carbon dioxide emissions standards that are compatible with United States standards.
The Secretary of State shall lead diplomatic efforts to encourage foreign governments to adopt vehicle fuel economy standards and vehicle carbon dioxide emissions standards. The Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall provide technical assistance to other countries to help such countries to develop new standards, testing regimes, and compliance strategies. The Vehicle Fuel Economy and CO 2 Emissions Diplomacy Initiative should— have the goal of reducing oil consumption by at least 2,000,000 barrels per day by 2030, in addition to the reduction anticipated by the implementation of standards in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act; include input in developing the program from leaders in United States industry; and focus special attention on Latin America.