Towards a green economy Level of importance/significance* Green Transport Goals Technologies ■ Improved internal combustion engines (ICEs)
■ Vehicle technology improvements (e.g. material substitution, aerodynamics) ■ Retrofitting technologies
■ Improvement in energy efficiency
■ Reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gases
■ Increased use of renewable resources
■ Reduced use of non-renewa- ble resources
■ Hybrid and Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles ■ Battery electric vehicles ■ Solar electric vehicles ■ Fuel cell vehicles ■ Flex-fuel vehicles
■ Alternative fuel technologies – Biofuels, CNG, LNG, LPG1 ■ Non-motorised transport vehicles ■ Public transport systems ■ Intelligent transport systems
and hydrogen 2010
+ + + + +
+ + + + + + ++ + +
+ + +
+ + + + + + + +
■ Use of Information technologies for traffic management (smart infrastructure) + + ■ e/tele-technologies for travel demand reduction ■ Integrated ticketing
+ + ■ Eco-driving and speed control
■ Waste minimisation ■ Reduction in land pollution
■ Reduced noise pollution ■ Safety
■ Material substitution, use of composite materials ■ Recycling technologies ■ Electric vehicles, hybrids ■ Silencers, etc.
■ Vehicle safety technologies such as tyre-pressure monitoring, Adaptive cruise control/collision mitigation, Emergency brake assist/collision mitigation, etc.
+++ : Central, ++: Highly Relevant, + : Relevant 1 Compressed natural gas (CNG); Liquefied natural gas (LNG); Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
Table 9: Various technologies to support green transport goals Authors’ assessment based on IEA (2009); Petersen et al. (2009)
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
+ +
2020 + +
+ + + + + + + + + + ++ + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + +
2030 +
+ + + +
+ + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + +
be less carbon intensive – for example if organically grown imports replace food crops grown in greenhouses. In other cases, there could be a renewed case for local production and consumption of seasonal products.
A related issue is the trading of transport vehicles themselves. On the one hand, the global market may allow the rapid diffusion of the most recent technology, including green vehicles. On the other hand, Davis and Kahn (2009) point out that free-trade agreements (such as NAFTA) have enabled used cars (often not meeting environmental standards) to flow from rich countries to developing countries and adversely affect the environment. In this context, it is vital that environmental standards are harmonised to mitigate the creation of pollution havens.40
40. UNEP is currently working, with partners in the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV) to regulate the export of used vehicles to developing countries and transitional countries. For additional information, see:
www.unep.org/PCFV. see:
www.unep.org/PCFV.
404
5.3 Ensuring technology transfer and access
A wide range of technologies are relevant to green transport, as shown in Table 9. Conventional technologies involve the use of fossil fuels for vehicle propulsion, which are the main cause of air pollution and GHG emissions. Advanced transportation technologies aim at energy efficiency, switching from fossil fuels to renewable and clean technologies, improvements in public transport and non-motorised transport systems and infrastructure and travel demand management in order to reduce the negative externalities caused by conventional technologies.
In order to meet the sustainable transport development challenge for future, it is important to continue to develop new technologies. According to the International Chamber of Commerce (2007), technology developments in the transport sector should focus on:
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