Transportation's role in reducing U.S. Greenhouse gas emissions

Vol 1: Synthesis report
U.S. Department of Transportation
Report to Congress
April 2010

A number of strategies can be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, such as using low-carbon fuels, increasing vehicle fuel economy, improving system efficiency and reducing travel that involves high levels of carbon emissions, according to a report released ... by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

Full Press release by Department of Transportation

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Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Transportation

David L. Greene and Howard H. Baker, Jr. - Center for Public Policy
Steven E. Plotkin - Argonne National Laboratory
PEW
January 2011

Transportation is vital to our economy and quality of life. But it is also the primary cause of U.S. oil dependency, and is responsible for more than a quarter of U.S. emissions of the greenhouse gases that are warming our planet. This report examines whether we can substantially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from U.S. transportation. Report authors David Greene and Steve Plotkin provide three plausible scenarios of technology, policy, and public attitudes that result in cost-effective GHG reductions throughout the transportation sector. The High Mitigation Scenario shows we can reduce GHG emissions from transportation by as much as 65 percent below today’s levels by 2050. In order to do so, we need action on three fronts: targeted public policies, technological progress, and commitment from Americans as consumers and citizens.

Video

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Adapting road procurement to climate conditions

Iimi, Atsushi; Benamghar, Radia
World Bank
Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 6029
April 2012

The world's climate is changing. It is well recognized that technical standards and project specifications of public infrastructure have to be adjusted, depending on the climate. However, it is less recognized that the public infrastructure procurement also needs to be adjusted. This paper examines a particular case of rural road procurement in Nepal. Severe weather conditions, such as heavy rains and storms, are likely to interrupt civil works and wash away unpaved or gravel roads. It is found that heavy precipitation causes delays, but not cost overruns. The paper also shows that budgetary efficiency and credibility could be improved by taking climate conditions into account. If future precipitation were anticipated by backward-looking expectations, many large project delays could be avoided. If the autoregressive precipitation model were used, the vast majority of the observed delays could be eliminated.

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From Transition to Transformation: Sustainable and inclusive development in Europe and Central Asia

United Nations
February 2012

This report was launched at the first Global Human Development Forum which brought together high-level experts from governments, corporations, civil society and international organizations to examine the global policy changes required to ensure a sustainable future for people today and for generations to come. The report, supported by 13 U.N. agencies, calls for a transformation to integrated policy making, where social equity, economic growth and environmental protection are approached together. It is a contribution of governments, experts, researchers and development practitioners ahead of the ‘Rio+20’ U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development in June in Brazil where participants will come together to discuss and shape new policies and measures to promote prosperity, reduce poverty and advance social equity and environmental protection.

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UNCTAD Transport Newsletter

UNCTAD
Nº53 - First Quarter 2012

Content

• Upcoming conference: Thirteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
• (UNCTAD XIII), 21‐26 April 2012, Doha, Qatar
• Ministerial Conference on Transport at ESCAP, Second Session, 12‐16 March 2012 Bangkok, Thailand: Asia‐
• Pacific nations reaffirm their commitment to efficient, reliable and safe transport infrastructure and
• services
• Newly published "Liability and Compensation for Ship‐Source Oil Pollution: An Overview of the International
• Legal Framework for Oil Pollution Damage from Tankers", UNCTAD Studies in Transport Law and Policy
• Newly published "Trade Facilitation in Regional Trade Agreements", from the UNCTAD Transport and Trade
• Facilitation Series
• UNCTAD project launched to develop Implementation Plans for an eventual WTO Trade Facilitation
• Agreement in several countries
• UNCTAD Case Study ‐ How to utilize FDI to improve transport infrastructure (Ports) ‐ Lessons from Nigeria
• The Low Carbon Shipping (LCS) Consortium
• Upcoming events under the UNCTAD Port Training Programme
• UNCTAD Technical Notes on Trade Facilitation now in Spanish
• Trade Facilitation as an Early Harvest under the WTO Doha Round
• Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF) Toolkit for PPPs
• OSCE‐UNECE Handbook of Best Practices at Border Crossings
• Data Harmonization and Modelling Guide  for Single Window Environment
• Training Programmes on Trade Facilitation and Rules of Origin during 2012 and 2013
• Globalization and Transport
• Oil Spill Risk Management 2011
• Measuring and Managing CO2 Emissions of European Chemical Transport
• Time as a Trade Barrier
• TransFarm Africa Initiative ‐ Removing the Barriers to African agricultural production, Tanzania Case study
• All About Shipping
• Policy Analysis of Complex Transport Systems, 2‐7 June 2012, Azores, Portugal
• PortExecutive Seminar, 28‐29 June 2012, Marseilles, France
• Maritime Public Leaders’ Programme, 15‐23 October 2012, Singapore
• Intelligent Mobility – thinking about  tomorrow’s transport

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Achieving emissions reductions in the freight sector: Understanding freight flows and exploring reduction options

Georgetown Climate Center
James J. Winebrake, PhD.
Rochester Institute of Technology
Presented via Webinar for the Talking Freight Seminar: Freight and the Environment Part I
21 March 2012

Freight is closely tied to economic growth and is growing; unfortunately, the bulk of freight is moved by high energy-intensive and GHG-intensive modes (truck).

On behalf of the Transportation and Climate Initiative, Dr. James Winebrake recently conducted an analysis of all freight moving through the northeastern United States.

The presentation shows some examples of emissions, costs and time for freight routes, and potentially sets the stage for additional work in this area.

The IF-TOLD Mitigation Framework

• Intermodalism/Infrastructure– use of efficient modes and infrastructure
• Fuels – use of low carbon fuels
• Technology – application of efficient technologies
• Operations – best practices in operator behavior
• Logistics – improve supply chain management
• Demand – reduce how much STUFF we consume

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Achieving sustainability in urban transport in developing and transition countries

Umwelt Bundes Amt
August 2011
Prof. Dr. Michael Bräuninger, Dr. Sven Schulze, Leon Leschus, Dr. Jürgen Perschon, Christof Hertel, Simon Field, Nicole Foletta

Although nearly one fourth of global CO2-emissions are caused by the transport sector, its effects cannot be reduced to impacts on climate change. Other sustainability problems induced by the transport sector include air pollution, noise and accidents. At the same time mobility has become a basic human need and there is a strong connection between economic development and the transport sector. These effects are especially relevant in urban areas. Nowadays half of the world’s population resides in cities and until the year 2050 this share is expected to rise to 70 %. Besides, cities today already account for nearly two thirds of global energy consumption and for more than 70 % of global CO2-emissions. Thus, this study focuses on sustainability issues in urban transport. Special attention is given to the situation in developing and emerging countries.

2. Best-Practice Examples 45
Case Study 1: National Financing Instruments: Second Generation Road Funds - The Case of Tanzania 45
Case Study 2: Local Financing Instruments in Sibiu, Romania 48
Case Study 3: Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Transport – Hong Kong 50
Case Study 4: Global Environment Facility (GEF): The Latin America Regional Sustainable Transport and Air Quality Project 53
Case Study 5: Climate Investment Fund (CIF) & Clean Technology Fund (CTF) for comprehensive urban transport systems: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 55
Case Study 6: Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) Morocco 58

3. Settlement structures 61
1. Background 61
2. Best-Practice Examples 66
Case Study 7: Coordination of Transportation and Land Use Planning in Curitiba, Brazil 66
Case Study 8: Affordable Housing in Bogota, Colombia 702
Case Study 9: Brownfield Redevelopment in Beijing, China 73
Case Study 10: Sustainable Urban Development in Kunming, China 77
4. Technological solutions 81
Tech-Box 1: Trolleybuses 85
Tech-Box 2: Bioethanol in Brazil 86
Tech-Box 3: Cable propelled transit in Caracas 88
5. Non-technological solutions 92
1. Background 92
1. General considerations 92
2. Push-measures 94
3. Pull-measures 99
2. Best-Practice Examples 103
Case Study 11: Restrictions on Car-use in Singapore 103
Case Study 12: Bus Rapid Transit in Curitiba, Brazil 107
Case Study 13: Institutional Reform and Bus Rapid Transit ‘Lite’ in Lagos, Nigeria 111
Case Study 14: The Car-free Medina of Fes, Morocco 116
Case Study 15: Non-motorised Transport in Guangzhou, China 119
Case Study 16: Cycle Rickshaw Modernisation in Delhi, India 123
5. Summary and policy recommendations 12

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The Future of Urban Mobility: Towards networked, multimodal cities of 2050

Arthur D. Little
October 2011

Management consultancy Arthur D. Little’s new global study of urban mobility assesses the mobility maturity and performance of 66 cities worldwide and finds most not just falling well short of best practice but in a state of crisis. Indeed it is not putting it too strongly to say that many cities’ mobility systems are standing on a burning platform and if action is not taken in the very near future they will play a major role in slowing the growth and development of their host nations.

What is needed is innovative change. This report highlights what is holding them back, showcases best practice and identifies three strategic imperatives for cities and three clusters of future business models for mobility suppliers that will enable cities to meet the urban mobility challenge.

Methodology
Arthur D. Little assessed the mobility maturity and performance of 66 cities worldwide using 11 criteria ranging from public transport’s share of the modal mix and the number of cars per capita to average travel speed and transport-related CO2 emissions. The mobility score per city ranges from 0 to 100 index points; the maximum of 100 points is defined by the best performance of any city in the sample for each criteria. In addition the study reviewed and analysed 39 key urban mobility technologies and 36 potential urban mobility business models.

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Laying the foundations for greener transport

TERM 2011: transport indicators tracking progress towards environmental targets in Europe
European Environment Agency
November 2011

For the first time ever the European Commissions is proposing a greenhouse gas emissions target for transport. But how is transport going to provide the services that our society needs while minimising its environmental impacts? This is the theme for the Transport White Paper launched in 2011. TERM 2011 and future reports aim to deliver an annual assessment on progress towards these targets by introducing the Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism Core Set of Indicators (TERM-CSI). TERM 2011 provides also the baseline to which progress will be checked against, covering most of the environmental areas, including energy consumption, emissions, noise and transport demand. In addition, this report shows latest data and discuss on the different aspects that can contribute the most to minimise transport impacts. TERM 2011 applies the avoid-shift-improve (ASI) approach, introduced in the previous TERM report, analysing ways to optimise transport demand, obtain a more sustainable modal split or use the best technology available.

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Market-based instruments for international aviation and shipping as a source of climate finance

Michael Keen, Ian Parry and Jon Strand
World Bank
Policy Research Working Paper 5950
January 2012

The international aviation and maritime sectors today enjoy relatively favorable tax treatment, as their fuels are not taxed and the sectors are not subject to any value-added tax or turnover tax. Nor are these fuel uses subject to any global measures to reduce their associated CO2 emissions, even though they represent at least 5 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions. A carbon charge on fuels for international aviation and shipping equal to $25 per tonne of emitted CO2 could raise about $12 billion from aviation and about $26 billion from shipping by 2020. Market-based instruments ought to be used to raise such revenue, preferably charges based on the carbon contents of fuels. Such charges would also scale back emissions by at least 5-10 percent. Developing countries ought to be able to keep their own tax revenue, and additional compensation to them for the economic burdens of these carbon charges may be warranted. Such compensation would constitute at most 40 percent of the raised global revenue. Implementing these charges can be a challenge, especially for aviation, where a large number of bilateral air-service agreements would need to be rewritten.

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Transport, trade and climate change: Carbon footprints, fuel subsidies and market-based measures

Joachim Monkelbaan
International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development - BMZ
Working paper
November 2011

International transport, be it by ship, airplane, train or truck, is essential for international trade and to global economic development. However, transport is at the same time the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The objective of this paper is to examine the viability and potential effects of different actions that Germany and the European Union (EU) can take to curb the growth of GHG emissions from the international transport sector. It analyzes different options that policy makers have available to reduce transport induced emissions. In doing so, this paper takes the impacts on trade, especially for developing countries, into account. The overarching question that is reverberates throughout this paper is: what are the advantages and disadvantages of different measures that Germany and the EU can take to limit emissions from trade-related transport?

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Plus: Annex I: Carbon footprint of some chilean exports

Greenhouse gas issues in the North American trucking industry

Philippe Barla
From the issue entitled "Special Issue: Transport, energy and greenhouse gases: perspectives on demand limitation"
Guest Editors: Charles Raux & Martin E.H. Lee-Gosselin
Energy Efficiency, Volume 3, Number 2

In this paper, we examine some the issues associated with reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the North American trucking industry. We review some basic descriptive statistics to apprehend the basic conditions in the three countries of North America and describe the North American trucking industry and the changes in its GHG performance. We also present some of the policies that have been either implemented or are being considered to reduce trucking GHG emissions. We then discuss some of the issues involved in choosing instruments to reduce trucking emissions. Specifically, we discuss the following instruments: incentives and standard to improve truck fuel efficiency, a tax on CO2, and tradable permits systems.

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Greenhouse gas emissions from aviation and marine transportation: Migration potential and policies

David McCollum
Gregory Gould
David Greene
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change
December 2009

Combined, aviation and marine transportation are responsible for approximately 5 percent of total greenhouse (GHG) emissions in the United States and 3 percent globally and are among the fastest growing modes in the transportation sector. Controlling the growth in these emissions will be an important part of reducing emissions from the transportation sector. A range of near-, medium- and long-term mitigation options are available to slow the growth of energy consumption and GHG emissions from aviation and marine shipping. Implementation of these options could result in reductions of more than 50 percent below BAU levels by 2050 from global aviation and more than 60 percent for global marine shipping. For these reductions to be realized, however, international and domestic policy intervention is required. Developing an effective path forward that facilitates the adoption of meaningful policies remains both a challenge and an opportunity.

“Aviation and Marine Transportation: GHG Mitigation Potential and Challenges” presents an introduction to aviation and marine transportation and a discussion of the determinants of GHG emissions from transportation; gives overview of current emissions and trends and growth projections; explains the technological mitigation options and potential GHG emission reductions; and discusses policy options at both the domestic and international level to achieve deep and durable reductions in emissions.

Press Release

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Understanding how ecodriving public education can result in reduced fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions

E. Martin, N. D. Chan, and S. A. Shaheen.
Innovative mobility
Submitted to TRB Annual Meeting 2012
November 2011

Ecodriving, the concept of changing driving behavior and vehicle maintenance to impact fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in existing vehicles, has gained recent prominence in North America. One ecodriving strategy involves public education through Internet-based information dissemination. This paper presents the results of a controlled stated-response study conducted with approximately 100 University of California, Berkeley faculty, staff, and students, assessing the effectiveness of static ecodriving web-based information. A comparison of the experimental and control groups found that exposure to ecodriving information influenced people's driving behavior and maintenance practices. The experimental group's distributional shift was statistically significant, particularly for key practices including: lower highway cruising speed, driving behavior adjustment, and proper tire inflation. Within the experimental group (N = 51), fewer respondents significantly changed their maintenance practices (16%) than the majority that altered some driving practices (71%); this suggests intentional altering of driving behavior is easier than planning better maintenance practices. A comparison of before- and after-surveys found that 57% of the experimental group improved their ecodriving behavior, while 43% made no change or worsened. Key characteristics of the drivers that improved include: being female, living in smaller households, and owning a newer car with higher fuel economy. While it was evident that not everyone modifies their behavior as a result of reviewing the website, even small shifts in behavior due to inexpensive information dissemination could be deemed cost effective in reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

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White paper on transport

Roadmap to a single european transport area — Towards a competitive and Resource-efficient transport system
European Comission
March 2011

This illustrated brochure comprises the text of the european commission’s White Paper ‘roadmap to a single european transport area — towards a competitive and resource-efficient transport system’ (com (2011) 144 final of 28 march 2011) and a foreword by vice-president Siim Kallas, commissioner for transport. 

The European Commission adopted a roadmap of 40 concrete initiatives for the next decade to build a competitive transport system that will increase mobility, remove major barriers in key areas and fuel growth and employment. At the same time, the proposals will dramatically reduce Europe's dependence on imported oil and cut carbon emissions in transport by 60% by 2050 .

By 2050, key goals will include:

• No more conventionally-fuelled cars in cities. 
• 40% use of sustainable low carbon fuels in aviation; at least 40% cut in shipping emissions. 
• A 50% shift of medium distance intercity passenger and freight journeys from road to rail and waterborne transport. 
• All of which will contribute to a 60% cut in transport emissions by the middle of the century.

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Versión en castellano

Versión en inglés

Watch the video on the White Paper, check out the 50 Facts and Figures on Transport

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Guangzhou, China Bus Rapid Transit: Emissions Impact Analysis

Colin Hughes
ITDP
May 2011

The first phase of the Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit (GZ BRT) opened in February of 2010, and it has already become an important demonstration of the efficacy and efficiency of high-capacity, full-featured BRT in Asia. In recent years over a dozen lowvolume bus rapid transit systems have sprung up throughout Asia. GZ BRT breaks this trend, with the first BRT system outside of South America with a daily volume comparable to, and in many cases in excess of, an urban metro-rail. Before GZ BRT, Zhongshan Avenue’s traffic speeds were plummeting and hundreds of buses blocked
traffic while struggling to pick up passengers on crowded curbs. Today, travel speeds are up 29% for buses and 20% for mixed traffic, and bus riders wait in safety and comfort in new high-quality center-median stations.

The analysis of GZ BRT presented here, after just one year of operation, examines aspects of the system design, performance, cost-recovery, and emissions reduction of Asia’s first metro-scale BRT.

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Libro verde del transporte y cambio climático

Comisión de Transportes del Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos
Junio 2010

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International Transport, Climate Change and Trade: What are the Options for Regulating Emissions from Aviation and Shipping and what will be their Impact on Trade?

ICTSD
Global Platform on Climate Change, Trade Policies and Sustainable Energy
October 2010

The purpose of this background paper is to give an overview of the regulation of international transport (aviation, shipping) in the face of climate change. This paper attempts to inform the different stakeholders in international transport on the direct relationship between international transport, trade and climate change. It also tries to give a clear insight into the economic impacts of transport regulation and the possible ways to offset these impacts for vulnerable countries. Thus, this paper aims to contribute to the discussion on the design and impacts of market-based solutions and other regulation instruments.

URL

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Assesing CO2 emissions: A new tool to mitigate climate change in inland transport

United Nations Development Account
2011

UNDA Project on CO2 emissions and ForFITS

The UNECE Transport Division initiated a new project to study the impact of inland transport on climate change and called the UN Development Account (UNDA) for funds to build up this project together with all UN Regional Commissions, as climate change is a global problem and needs a global solution. The funds for this 3 years project have been released and the work activities are in progress. The implementation of this project started in January 2011 and will be concluded in December 2013.

The main objective of the project is to enhance international cooperation and planning towards sustainable transport policies through the development and use of a standard monitoring and assessment tool for CO2 emissions in inland transport including a transport policy converter. This first activity within this project is to develop an information and analysis tool based on a uniform methodology for the evaluation of the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the inland transport sector (road, rail and waterways except national and international aviation and maritime transport), taking into account climate-relevant indicators, new transportation trends and the implementation of regional, national or local policy measures. CO2 emissions caused by international aviation and maritime transport are excluded from this project.

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Urban transport and climate change action plans

GIZ - SUTP
May 2011

More and more cities around the world are developing dedicated Climate Change Action Plans to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and improve the local air quality for their inhabitants. The transport sector usually plays a crucial role in any such strategy. In many cases, transportation is the primary source of CO2 and other GHGs, contributing up to 40 percent of the cities’ total emissions.

This paper summarises the measures outlined in Climate Change Action Plans of more than 30 cities in all continents. Its focus is on the actions proposed in the transport chapter of the relevant plans. However, in many cases other Urban Transport Planning documents (Transportation Master Plans, Land Use Plans, etc.) play a key role for implementing specific measures, while the Climate Action Plans outline the more general goals.

The measures initiated to reduce these negative impacts of urban transport take many forms. Increasing the share of public transport and non-motorised modes such as walking and cycling are core elements in many emission reduction strategies, but most often they are supplemented by other short-term and long-term measures. One key feature of most actions proposed is that they provide several co-benefits: many options not only reduce GHG emissions and improve air quality, but also enhance energy efficiency and – especially in the developing world – contribute to better transport services for the poor.

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