While aviation and the bulk of shipping tonnage in Oceania fall under the purview of only a handful of stakeholders – both private sector operators and public regulatory authorities – land transport practices are engaged in by essentially all people, every day.

The hierarchy of land transport is based upon the pedestrian, and what means of conveyance every individual decides to employ, either independently or in concert with others, to meet their daily needs and obligations.

Figure 1: The Transport Hierarchy (ActionNetZero.org, 2024)

Without exception, non-pedestrian modes across Oceania are entirely reliant on imported materials. Domestic production capacity for vehicles of all types and existing fuel sources are couple with largescale sovereign loans for bridge and carriageway infrastructure to accommodate these introduced transport modes. In conjunction with the socio-economic burden of non-communicable diseases from the introduction of sedentary lifestyles and poor praxis in land transport activities, these avoidable costs represent the single largest debt driver in Pacific Island countries & territories.

For the past decade, MCST has been positioned at the forefront of the dialogue on land transport decarbonization, with its members presenting in international fora and publishing on systemic requirements for the necessary paradigm shift to realize sustainability in the sector. With consideration in Rebbelib 2050: A Catalyst for Change of the multi-dimensional phase-out of fossil fuels, the MCST team has contributed to various national-level policies and strategies for the ambitious phase-out of land transport emissions while recognizing the co-benefits that may be realized through implementation of public and active transport initiatives in the drawn-down and phase-out of private automotive praxis.