Towards Sustainable Low Emissions Transport in Georgia
Transport remains the main contributor to air pollution in Georgia: 70% of NOx and 40% of volatile organic compounds come from this sector. This is caused by the fact that the car fleet is old and poorly maintained, with more than 45.5% of vehicles being 20 years or older. Furthermore, every year the number of imported vehicles increases in the country, taking into account that no emission standards have been introduced for imported cars. As a result, introducing vehicle emission standards for imported vehicles in compliance with EU requirements became a priority for the government.
On May 2020, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), together with its partner organization CENN, officially launched phase II of its “Sustainable Low Emissions Transport” project in Georgia. UNEP intends to continue supporting the development and implementation of vehicle emission standards in Georgia via the adoption and implementation of Euro-equivalent vehicle emission standards to promote a global transition to no-and low-emissions mobility for improved air quality and climate change mitigation.
Phase II of the “Sustainable Low Emissions Transport” project aims to provide technical support to analyze current and proposed vehicle standards. This includes undertaking a cost-benefit analysis in order to assess the potential economic impacts of introducing import restrictions based on EU vehicle emission standards in Georgia. Based on the outcomes of the previously-supported project for the Introduction of EU Emissions Standards for Light Duty and Heavy-Duty Vehicles in Georgia, this project continues to provide support to the Government of Georgia in harmonizing Georgian legislation with EU requirements and to protect human health and the environment from the harmful emissions created by the transport sector.
“This project intends to conduct a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) study on introducing low-emission transport policies and standards in Georgia, in consultation with lead project partners, including the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (MEPA),” says Noe Megrelishvili, Head of the Ambient Air Division, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia. “To this end, the project will speed up the process of mainstreaming innovative approaches to introducing low-emission transport policies and standards in Georgia, in consultation with lead international and national project partners.”
The Terms of Reference for developing the CBA have been prepared under the previously-supported project for the Introduction of EU Emissions Standards for Light Duty and Heavy-Duty Vehicles in Georgia, based on country-specific requirements and circumstances, and with the support of the Climate Technology Center and Network (CTCN).
The project “Sustainable Low Emissions Transport” (phase II) also contributes to UNEP’s Climate Change Sub-program 2020-2021, including Expected Accomplishment: (b) “Countries increasingly adopt and/or implement low greenhouse gas emission development strategies and invest in clean technologies”.
