A Climate Change in Global
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Letter[rom theLxecutiue Director, Walter Hook A ClimateChange in Global Transport,or "SmartPlugs?" 'Smart asr year, Sovernmenrs ject,called Plugs',Bivrs from around the world emissionsreduction credits to the met in Kyoto .1nd U.S.for every'smart plug' that .r signed an agreement to reduce U.S. firm sellsoverseas. Thesc 'smart greenhouse gas emissions. pluBs' apparently reduce Developed countries agreed tcr transportsector emissions in th(' concretec'missions targets; deYel- vehiclesthat usethem. Of course, 'sm.rt oping countries agreed to develop the firm is trying to sell its plans to minimize emissions.A plugs'anyway,so what exactlvis 'clean neu', development mecha- the U.5. taking credit for? Bt'the nism,'was set up to help develop- sametoken, couldn't the U.S. Lrkc ing countries address the issue of emissioncredits for every CM car climate change, and 'Joint- it sells overseasif the GM car pol- Implementation' (Jl) was accepted lutes lessthan a domesticall\'- as a way for developed countries availablealternative? We seeseri- to meet their climate change tar- ous problemshere. gets, complementing the Clobal Since 199,1,the World Bank Environmcntal Facility (CEF) has spent$3.12 billion on neu which was set up to implement highways in China, and the Asian the goals of Agenda 21 and the cli- DevelopmentBank another $1.012 mate change treahes. billion. The new Manila transport Since then, however, little has master plan sponsoredby Japan's happened. Governments and International Cooperation international agencies have been Agency,calls for wasting $6 bil- unable to come to grips with the lion on new urban highwavs. dramatic increase in transport sec- Balancingthis intemational activi- tor CO2 emissions resulting from ty, we are offered'smartplugs' !!rowing use in motor vehicles and hydrogen fuel celled vehicles globallv. Transport CO2 emissions that aren't operationalany*here are growing at 2.5'1,a Vear, and Katu' Oltrtrr llr4)arcs in the world. This is a recipefor a are projected to double bv the year bikt shipnort.forSouth Africa climatechange disaster. 2020. Transport is responsible for Today's traffic nightmare is rr,ughlv15"., r'f t,rtalCrccnhrru'e g,t. insteadon convertingcoal-fired power not a problemthat will be solvedby 'smart emissions,and the shareis growing. In plantsto (ril.The GEF's draft operational plugs.' The low-costCuritiba bus the EU transport accountsfor 32o1,of directive for transport, releasedlast year system is not technicallycomplicated to CO2 emissions,and is the larfiest single after more than 2 vearsof delays,decid- implement,but it is politicallydifficult to source.While today developedcountries ed to focus its support entirely on the implement. The extensivebike networks are responsiblefor 57'l. of theseemrs- promotion of hydrogen fuel-celledpub- of the Netherlandsand China offer sions,by the vear2015 dcveloping coun- lic transitvehiclcs in developingcoun- another low-cost approachthat has also tries will be responsiblefor over half. tries,an unproven technologywhich has not been replicated.Bicycles generate Catalyticconverters do nothing to vet h' be inlroduled.ucces.fullveven in even lesspollution than a hvdrogen fuel- reduceCO2 emissions.Compressed nat- the U.S.or Europe.Thanks to quick cell bus. The differenceis that over 90"1, ural gasmav rcduceemissions by 10')1,,a interventionby ITDP, SUSTRAN,and of the world's populationcan afford a marginal improvement. Electricvehicles other environmentalgroups, the GEF's bicycle.The problem is not a technology mav or mav not reduceCO2 emissrons operationaldirective is beingrevised problem,it's a governanceproblem. depcndingon how the poweris generat- and the guidelinesbroadened. Environmentalists,public transitusers, ed. Thev have their advantages,but not Up to this time, there has onlv been bicyclists,and pedestriansare not as much for CO2. one U.S.JI projectin transport,and if it is well organizedor as well funded as Heretofore,the GEF has done next anv indication of what we can expect,JI motor vehicle interests, and tend to be to nothing to reduceCO2 emissions does not offer much hope to resolvin8 excludedfrom the transportationdeci- from the tran.port\ector. l')cu\ing the global motorizationcrisis. The pro- sion-makingprocess. 2 SusninobleTrcntpott 9 t t tmnsport rsa pub cdton of Tht lnrtitutc for Articles Features?ranlpo.trtion and Dcvelopr|Gnl Policy 115W 30thSt., Surte 1205 NewYork, NY 10001 WillJoining the EUWreck Letterfrom ITDP's Te (212b298(rc1.Fax (212ts99 8033 emdr, [email protected] HungarianRailroads? ExecutiveDirector www. tdp o€ EditoE walterf+oo( PaulS V/brte SUSTMN:Asian Transport NewsBriefs Art Dircctioi: CliffH s 8o.rd ot DiJCCtgrg: AdvocacyTakes Off Dr. V, Sctty Pcndaku,, Presdent Chdlrman,NMT Commrttee NewTitles TransportalonResearch 8odrd, Mozambique: Professor,Unrv of BrnshColumba RoadsWashed Away, |{.tt"o }rtr.tlgnonl,Vrce Presrdent BulletinBoard Interndtondl Human Powered Redlnk Remains Vehcle Assocrdtron Kcith Obcrg, Secretdry Inter-AmeticanFounddt on Reincarnatingthe Jon Orcutt, Treasurer lndianCycle Rickshaw Tn StdteTrdnsportatron Campdrgn Wrllcr Hoo* ExecutrveD rector,ITDP SaoPaulo Curbing Car Use ^{ich.cl Rcplogle EnvrronmentDet€l €nseFund Kiran Ovarton U.S.Transport Funding Fight Recyce-A-B cycle Endsin Pork-Fest John Hoea Professor,IHE Delft Prul Gui{nk SpecralConsultdnt to WorldBank on NMT Btrt.r. LheI'r,'hlenr. .r, ll('.rlrr! scrve 11\rr nroclelfLrr othr,r rtgionnl sus- up,'the clim.rtc is bcginrlirlg kr chnngr. t.rinnLrl('tr.rn\f ort .(r.rIitilrns in Atn.,l A'ildra Dcloo-Scott Sustainabletrnnsport cnmpaignsN arr rrr,l ,r'r \rrr,| , | | ,, ,rl.r'.1 r",r''rrr'l Specrdized rcccntlv initi.rted in Ronrani.r,Btrlg.r r.r, nrll'rlr. I'i .nl..tlt,,(n- .il,.r'. Elliotl S<lal \lanagtra, Joh.rnnesburg,anrl Isracl. Ih. lrlrrltpr'(r(('\\ Jr,'rl nhrilr thr'r .rrt tLrr Profe:sc'Co umo d Llnvers ty Sustnin.rbleTr.lnsport Action N('t!\ {'rl rt,ntlrt rcltrrltrl DavidGurin (rr Asia anel thc I',tcific,that \\.ts st.irtrd ITDI'is al'tr clt'nrorr'tratirrgotlrt'r. 3 , oCon., .o-q o, pd.r |'lg,( \ of 'cronlo bv a group of Asian NCOs, ITDI', ancl nror(' cost cf ir,ctivc.rnt1 sustain.rblc soltr A vews expressedn the6nr es Inlh s plbllca- U\DP's innovative Asin I'acific 2000 tionstr) the glob.rlnrobilitt' crisis: IIDl"s t on 3r€ihe v €\45of the authorsdnd not n€cessar _DD program, held its Second Ccneral Cvcle Ricksha$' Inrpr()\ L,m(]nt I'rojcct, . r-p ' ?*5 o' S.sld dop lrd-tpo- ae (o-e) ub^ r)sro- of d.. e9 dbout aor rrotcl AssemblVin Nl.1niln,th.rnks to ITDP's Lrascdin Agrn, Irrr.li.r,is nor ing along zed Uansportdtrofdnd rnfornatronabout sustarn c()ntribu tors, the Changing llorizons u ith the bclp oi our Inclian parht'rs, thc ab e transportat on actv hes worldwrde Ch.rriLrbleTrust of thc TiclesFouncl.rtio|r Asinn Institute oi Tr.rnsportI)t'r't'lop .rnrl thc Nt'u Land Founrlation.Its nt rrr nrcnt (Al l l)). I his t.rll ll-DI' antl ,\lTD bcrs incluclt'the nrost t,ifective susrarr- \\ ill unvcil fir c p.11111111p" cvclt, rick .thc lr,tn.lt,'rt,r,ivrr',rlr. In \.r.t (lUt ,'i shaus to ['ndr.rs ot tho Inr]inn iourist this nleeting, fornricl.rblt'susl.in.hl(' and biqcle indrrstrics,riclshan' unions, trnnsport camlraigns\\'ere initinteLlin clrviron nrer'rtnl r r,aok)Llrisnrgroups, nnLi l.rk.rrt.1,M:tnil.r, Ncu Dclhi, Pcnang,antl loc,rl ,rncl rcgronal g()\|'rnnlcnts. M.rtteo C.rlcutta.The Jakartaco.rlition .rlrcrdv \l.rrtign()11i,l1D1' r icc prL,sid.nt .1nd met \\'ith the Covernor of l.rk.rrta;rnd Irr{rt,' I drr,,l,'r Ll(-rFn,r i. rr,'rkirrI convincccl hinr, t('mpor.rril\,, k) r(.scind n ith Karl Millcr, Clcnn ll.rv ancl (icorge tht,ban on qcle ricksh.r$s.(Sec p. b) Bliss t() de\ r'lop srrl'rrior lehicles rr hich lVc knoh $h.rt nettls to bt'done. But alm k) ilnpr()\'e p.rsscngcr.onri()rt .!nll Covel photo, Richardl'Anson, in Lonely SLSTRAN's f.rtestill hangs in th('b,rl ,rll(,\i.rte driler strain - u hilc simult.r- "Ch6sing Plan€t'sforthcoming Rickshaws" nnce ns UNDP's Asia Rcgion;l Offict, neouslv ret.rining th. .rL,sthctics()f trildi- corltinucsto threat('nto closc th('Asin tiol'r.rlIndi.rn riesign.Thr thrce-r'c:rrpro- I'acific2000 progr:rnr. j(,ct,onlv ir'rits trrlr'phascs, h.rs.rlrc.rdv fpr$[r ITDI'hopt's that SUSTRAN can ao,/fi, /r,./r),r l). l.l MalaysianStud €ntsProt €st Expressway KUALA LUMPUR. In Ku:rl;r IFCFunds Disastlous Coastal Lumpur in February, dbout 2,000 upper-respiratorvdeaths annually-is University of Malav studentsand mcn) Highway one of the most polluted citiesin the bers of the public protestedthe con- I'ANAMA CITY. On June 25, the world. A recentWorld Bank report struction of the Kerinci Link World Bank's Board of Director's puts five Chinesecities among the Expressway.The demonstrators,rvho approved a loan from its private-sector world's dirtiesttop ten. Beijing's1.3 converged at the main entranceto the lending arm, the lnternational Finance million registeredcars (up from 200,000 universitv,were up in arms about the Corporation, for a private companv to onlv ten years ago), which on average impactof the proposedroad, which con\lruct thc tli:.rstrou: Corridor sur emit l0 to 15 timesmore exhaustthan would cut throughtheir belovedcam- toll highway in Panama City, despite their American counterparts,are a pus. Nearbyresidents haYe also taken the'no' vote by the U.S. Executrve growing part of the problem. Beijing their concemsto the press. The Kenncr Director. The loan approval process recentlvbanned leadedgasoline, began Link is a componentof the Sprint made a mockery of the environmcntal tailpipe spot checks,and next year will Expresswaynetwork, a RM1.3bilhon revlew Process, as construcuon on trre require that all new cars come proiectthat is scheduledto be complet- highway began five months before the equipped with catalyticconverters.