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locations, and capacities of facilities. De- mand can then be reduced by the devel- opment of regional production clusters to reduce transportation costs. Just In Time and Material Resource Planning systems are flexible and allow the rapid trans- portation of small loads while reducing the distances between suppliers. Re- gional consumer markets could also be encouraged by taxation and awareness campaigns. For example, truck operators could pay distance-related charges and products could be regionally labeled to increase public awareness.
CAR
XX tributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. Its forecast growth in emerging economies such as India and China is of comparable importance to the already established use in the de- veloped world. Much interest has been centered on new fuel technologies in- cluding biofuels (fuels derived from re- cycled vegetable oils or starch and sugar plants), natural gas, hydrogen, and elec- tric motors. At the moment, the hydrogen car has the lowest potential purchase and running costs of the possible new fuel solutions. However, it requires a spe- cial fueling infrastructure to be built and performs no better in terms of efficiency, cost, and performance than electric ve- hicles. Low concentration biofuel mix-
The car is the second-largest con-
Hydrogen-powered cars, such as this Mazda RX-8, have the lowest potential purchase and running costs of the possible new fuel solutions and are being developed by many manufacturers.
tures (
els by motorists is hampered by oil prices. While oil remains affordable, alternative fuels are viewed as expensive and unnec- essary, often requiring government sub- sidies. Hence, a short-term solution is to promote the use of smaller, low-emission vehicles by changing purchasing behav- ior. Owners of cars that are more polluting would then be left to pay for the environ- mental damage that they cause. It’s impor- tant that manufacturers are encouraged to continually develop ultra-efficient engines such as those seen in small cars. It has been suggested that a significant
shift toward public transport is required in order to reduce CO2
emissions from road
transport, a strategy that could be encour- aged by offsetting the affordability of car ownership with various forms of indirect taxation. These include fuel tax levies, parking charges, road tolling, and distance- based charging. Emissions from urban con- gestion could be tackled by subtle junction improvements and traffic management sys- tems. Increased teleworking should also be encouraged as a means of reducing emis- sions from commuting.
AVIATION
X X contributor of greenhouse gases, avia- tion releases almost unparalleled emis- sions per passenger kilometer. This, coupled with its forecast growth, makes it the least sustainable mode of transport and has consequently become the most visible in terms of political and public interest. Passenger traffic is currently growing by 5 percent annually. Although the most rapid growth has been through international f lights, short-haul f lights that use disproportionately more fuel per kilometer have recently seen a large ex- pansion. Despite the potential impacts of this growth, no targets were set for either international aviation or greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, other than CO2
Although not currently the greatest for domestic flights. Ensuring the sustainability of future
air travel provides one of the most diffi- cult environmental challenges currently facing governments. Any measures must find a balance between technological solutions and politically led economic actions to limit the sector’s current ex-
Local Action Moves the World •
www.icleiusa.org
PLANET EARTH \\ DRIVING CHANGE
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