"The EU were talking proudly about their recent declaration on cycling" - the European Cyclists' Federation CEO sees positive trends at COP28 summit

The COP28 climate summit drew to a close on Wednesday, with a divisive new deal on fossil fuels to cap a controversial fortnight. Amid the bluster, cycling "punched above its weight", according to one insider, with advocates highlighting some positive steps amid a trying environment.

The UNFCC also highlighted calls for a re-think of the ‘Avoid-Shift-Improve’ approach. "In transport, a lot of the focus is on improve – for example, change combustion engines to electric vehicles – but we’re getting them to pay more attention to 'avoid and shift'," Jill Warren, CEO of the European Cyclists' Federation, told GCN.

Additionally, Warren noted that 'health' was generally a far bigger theme than at previous COP summits, which helped move cycling up the agenda. "Even groups like the World Bank, who would have probably looked at us like we were aliens a few years ago, they were on stage talking about how important it is to finance active travel projects. You wouldn’t hear them saying that a few years ago," she said.

"The EU were talking proudly about their recent declaration on cycling, which I also found very positive, because it shows that they’ve understood the potential that cycling has."