Sustainable communities should be:
* Active, inclusive and safe - Fair, tolerant and cohesive with a strong local culture and other shared community activities.
* Well run - with effective and inclusive participation, representation and leadership.
* Environmentally sensitive - providing places for people to live that are considerate of the environment.
* Well designed and built - featuring a quality built and natural environment.
* Well connected - with good transport services and communication linking people to jobs, schools, health and other services.
* Thriving - with a flourishing and diverse local economy.
* Well served - with public, private, community and voluntary services that are appropriate to people's needs and accessible to all.
* Fair for everyone - including those in other communities, now and in the future
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Bangkok breathes easier
http://www.gluckman.com/BangkokPollution.html
Bangkok breathes easier
Once blighted by belching buses and thick smog, Bangkok cleaned up its act and air over recent decades. Cutting motorcycle emissions and adding an overhead subway helped, but most measures were easy, efficient and paid quick results. As Bangkok has grown greener, much of Asia, suffocating in thick layers of smog, should pay attention.
By Ron Gluckman / Bangkok, Thailand
JITENDRA SHAH, AN AIR QUALITY specialist covering Asia for the World Bank, always got a graphic reminder of the hard work ahead on flights to Bangkok. Circling overhead, he would look out the window and wince. Below, buried beneath thick smog, was Bangkok. He could already sense the traffic jams and belching buses. Soon, he would smell them.
That was in the early 1990s, when Shah was based in Washington DC, but roamed around Asia pushing schemes to clean up power plants and reduce poisonous levels of sulfur, carbon monoxide and lead, all too common across fast-developing Asia.
Nowadays, Shah is based in Bangkok, running the Bank’s environmental programs around Southeast Asia, but his agenda has lightened. He bubbles about walk-ability studies. An avid urban stroller, he wants to make it easier for Thais to hike around their capital. Should they do so, more often than not, they will be greeted by blue skis that mark Bangkok as an unusual environmental success story.
Across the region, whether gloomy industrial centers in China or modern cities like Hong Kong, residents choke in a haze of ever-grimier air. The majority of the world’s most polluted cities are in Asia; seven of the 10 dirtiest in China, according to the World Bank. Bangkok, in contrast, has cleaned up, improving air quality over the past decade.
“No question,” says Shah, “In many ways, Bangkok is in the forefront.”
He credits a variety of measures, from crackdowns on polluting vehicles and conversion of motor bikes from two to cleaner four-stroke engines, to simple solutions, like washing streets, clearing away construction dust.
“Bangkok has really shown a can-do attitude towards air quality. In many ways, it’s a model for the region.”
Such appraisals surprise locals. Surveys show that air pollution and road congestion remain high among concerns of the Thai capital’s 10 million residents.
Yet data proves that Bangkok has not only cleaned up its act, but bucked a trend that finds residents of more prosperous cities like Singapore and Hong Kong decrying increasingly hazy skies.
“People don’t really realize the success,” notes Thailand Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand, “but the air has improved a lot over the past 15 years. Some of the things you can see, but a lot of the improvement you never really notice.”
Take lead pollution. Tests showing high lead levels among some school children and traffic policemen in the early 1990s, spurred efforts to ban leaded gas. The plan met stiff resistance from oil producers and car manufacturers. Consumers were concerned over costs, but Piyasvasti, then with the National Energy Policy Office, pushed on.
Thailand quickly went lead-free by 1995, a year before the United States, which had begun its own conversion two decades earlier.
Bangkok can do even better, according to Dr. Bhichit Rattakul, founder of the Anti Air Pollution & Environmental Protection Foundation. He points to outdated buses, many retired from the government fleet, but then returned to service by private operators.
He says that almost half of the city’s fleet of 14,000 buses violate air quality controls. “We need to get tougher. These rules are on the books. We just need better enforcement.”
Piyasvasti promises that dirty buses “are my next target.” He wants to convert them to natural gas, which not only burns cleaner but, thanks to subsidies from fuel taxes, offers better value.
However, conversion costs are high – over $5000 for trucks and buses, he says. Piyasvasti hopes to provide additional incentives with the fuel fund.
A London-trained economist, Piyasvasti is adept at financing green schemes. He raised fuel prices quietly recently to stockpile funds to increase incentives for bio-fuel, the rage across the globe.
Biodiesel (diesel mixed with local palm oil), and gasohol, (with ethanol made from local sugar cane and tapioca), have been available in limited quality since 2004. Within five years, Piyasvasti promises a complete conversion to bio-fuel.
Environmental attention in Bangkok naturally focuses upon cars because of colossal road jams. In the 1990s, when Shah began visiting, gridlock strangled efficiency. Short rides in taxis took two hours. Some workers commuted at dark, then slept in cars or under their desks. Bangkok officials seemed unable to figure out a means of easing the jams.
The Asian Financial Crisis that swept across the region was a blessing in disguise. The meltdown began and was perhaps the most severe here. Thailand is only now returning to 1997 levels of prosperity, but the crisis provided a vital breather from the pell-mell pace of development. Rampant real estate speculation stalled, allowing planners a chance to reassess growth and propose new directions.
Most important was the introduction of the first subway in 1999. The BTS, an elevated train, took time to win acceptance, concedes Bhichit, governor of the Bangkok region when it opened, but patronage has since doubled.
“You see everyone on it,” he notes, “not just tourists. But business people with briefcases and ties. It works.”
A second subway line was added a few years later, but Bhichit and other urban activists want still more track. A new line is under construction to the recently-opened airport, and the government plans major expansion into the suburbs.
Bhichit endorses even more radical measures, like dropping parking-space requirements for new buildings. This would encourage fewer people to take to congested city streets, where another 300 cars are added daily. “We need to get people out of their cars.”
Doing so would provide another dividend in the battle for clear air. Bangkok residents could take pride in their bluer skies, something seldom seen elsewhere in Asia.
Ron Gluckman is an American reporter, currently based in Bangkok (and Cambodia), who has been roaming around Asia for 16 years for a variety of publications including Overseas Focus in the UK, which ran this piece in May 2007.
All pictures by Ron Gluckman
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Bangkok breathes easier
Once blighted by belching buses and thick smog, Bangkok cleaned up its act and air over recent decades. Cutting motorcycle emissions and adding an overhead subway helped, but most measures were easy, efficient and paid quick results. As Bangkok has grown greener, much of Asia, suffocating in thick layers of smog, should pay attention.
By Ron Gluckman / Bangkok, Thailand
JITENDRA SHAH, AN AIR QUALITY specialist covering Asia for the World Bank, always got a graphic reminder of the hard work ahead on flights to Bangkok. Circling overhead, he would look out the window and wince. Below, buried beneath thick smog, was Bangkok. He could already sense the traffic jams and belching buses. Soon, he would smell them.
That was in the early 1990s, when Shah was based in Washington DC, but roamed around Asia pushing schemes to clean up power plants and reduce poisonous levels of sulfur, carbon monoxide and lead, all too common across fast-developing Asia.
Nowadays, Shah is based in Bangkok, running the Bank’s environmental programs around Southeast Asia, but his agenda has lightened. He bubbles about walk-ability studies. An avid urban stroller, he wants to make it easier for Thais to hike around their capital. Should they do so, more often than not, they will be greeted by blue skis that mark Bangkok as an unusual environmental success story.
Across the region, whether gloomy industrial centers in China or modern cities like Hong Kong, residents choke in a haze of ever-grimier air. The majority of the world’s most polluted cities are in Asia; seven of the 10 dirtiest in China, according to the World Bank. Bangkok, in contrast, has cleaned up, improving air quality over the past decade.
“No question,” says Shah, “In many ways, Bangkok is in the forefront.”
He credits a variety of measures, from crackdowns on polluting vehicles and conversion of motor bikes from two to cleaner four-stroke engines, to simple solutions, like washing streets, clearing away construction dust.
“Bangkok has really shown a can-do attitude towards air quality. In many ways, it’s a model for the region.”
Such appraisals surprise locals. Surveys show that air pollution and road congestion remain high among concerns of the Thai capital’s 10 million residents.
Yet data proves that Bangkok has not only cleaned up its act, but bucked a trend that finds residents of more prosperous cities like Singapore and Hong Kong decrying increasingly hazy skies.
“People don’t really realize the success,” notes Thailand Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand, “but the air has improved a lot over the past 15 years. Some of the things you can see, but a lot of the improvement you never really notice.”
Take lead pollution. Tests showing high lead levels among some school children and traffic policemen in the early 1990s, spurred efforts to ban leaded gas. The plan met stiff resistance from oil producers and car manufacturers. Consumers were concerned over costs, but Piyasvasti, then with the National Energy Policy Office, pushed on.
Thailand quickly went lead-free by 1995, a year before the United States, which had begun its own conversion two decades earlier.
Bangkok can do even better, according to Dr. Bhichit Rattakul, founder of the Anti Air Pollution & Environmental Protection Foundation. He points to outdated buses, many retired from the government fleet, but then returned to service by private operators.
He says that almost half of the city’s fleet of 14,000 buses violate air quality controls. “We need to get tougher. These rules are on the books. We just need better enforcement.”
Piyasvasti promises that dirty buses “are my next target.” He wants to convert them to natural gas, which not only burns cleaner but, thanks to subsidies from fuel taxes, offers better value.
However, conversion costs are high – over $5000 for trucks and buses, he says. Piyasvasti hopes to provide additional incentives with the fuel fund.
A London-trained economist, Piyasvasti is adept at financing green schemes. He raised fuel prices quietly recently to stockpile funds to increase incentives for bio-fuel, the rage across the globe.
Biodiesel (diesel mixed with local palm oil), and gasohol, (with ethanol made from local sugar cane and tapioca), have been available in limited quality since 2004. Within five years, Piyasvasti promises a complete conversion to bio-fuel.
Environmental attention in Bangkok naturally focuses upon cars because of colossal road jams. In the 1990s, when Shah began visiting, gridlock strangled efficiency. Short rides in taxis took two hours. Some workers commuted at dark, then slept in cars or under their desks. Bangkok officials seemed unable to figure out a means of easing the jams.
The Asian Financial Crisis that swept across the region was a blessing in disguise. The meltdown began and was perhaps the most severe here. Thailand is only now returning to 1997 levels of prosperity, but the crisis provided a vital breather from the pell-mell pace of development. Rampant real estate speculation stalled, allowing planners a chance to reassess growth and propose new directions.
Most important was the introduction of the first subway in 1999. The BTS, an elevated train, took time to win acceptance, concedes Bhichit, governor of the Bangkok region when it opened, but patronage has since doubled.
“You see everyone on it,” he notes, “not just tourists. But business people with briefcases and ties. It works.”
A second subway line was added a few years later, but Bhichit and other urban activists want still more track. A new line is under construction to the recently-opened airport, and the government plans major expansion into the suburbs.
Bhichit endorses even more radical measures, like dropping parking-space requirements for new buildings. This would encourage fewer people to take to congested city streets, where another 300 cars are added daily. “We need to get people out of their cars.”
Doing so would provide another dividend in the battle for clear air. Bangkok residents could take pride in their bluer skies, something seldom seen elsewhere in Asia.
Ron Gluckman is an American reporter, currently based in Bangkok (and Cambodia), who has been roaming around Asia for 16 years for a variety of publications including Overseas Focus in the UK, which ran this piece in May 2007.
All pictures by Ron Gluckman
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Asian Air Pollution Changing Clouds
March 10, 2007
Once living standards in a country get high enough people in that country start wanting to reduce pollution. The environmental movement did not take off in the United States in the 1960s because college students were taking LSD and mushrooms. The US reached a point where people had enough possessions that other desires and needs became important. Our problem with China, India, and other Asian countries is that they've rising emissions of pollutants from a few billion people with too many years to go before they reach living standards high enough to care about pollution control.
To put it another way: When the United States and Europe went through industrialization they had a lot fewer people doing the industrializing. First off, the US and Europe had a much smaller populations 100 years ago than they do today. Second, even today the US has a population less than a quarter of China's. India's population will reach 1.4 billion in 2025 and 1.6 billion by 2050 or more than 5 times America's population today. While elites in First World fully industrialized countries are worried about carbon dioxide emissions the Chinese and Indians haven't even graduated to the level of caring much about particulates and oxides of sulfur and nitrogen and the like. The quality of air in Chinese cities is getting worse as coal burning power plants get built at a frenetic pace.
I see this as a big and underappreciated problem for the future. Asian industrialization in such large populations pushes billions of people up into the ranks of polluters many years before they reach the ranks of yuppie environmentalists. Here's some new research on the effects that Asian air pollution is having on northern Pacific Ocean weather.
COLLEGE STATION – Severe pollution from the Far East is almost certainly affecting the weather near you, says a Texas A&M University researcher who has studied the problem and has published a landmark paper on the topic in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Renyi Zhang, professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M and lead author of the paper, says the study is the first of its kind that provides indisputable evidence that man-made pollution is adversely affecting the storm track over the Pacific Ocean, a major weather event in the northern hemisphere during winter. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA.
Zhang says the culprit is easy to detect: pollution from industrial and power plants in China and India. Both countries have seen huge increases in their economies, which means more large factories and power plants to sustain such growth. All of these emit immense quantities of pollution – much of it soot and sulfate aerosols – into the atmosphere, which is carried by the prevailing winds over the Pacific Ocean and eventually worldwide.
Using satellite imagery and computer models, Zhang says that in roughly the last 20 years or so, the amount of deep convective clouds in this area increased from 20 to 50 percent, suggesting an intensified storm track in the Pacific.
Dr. Zhang is also concerned that soot could deposit on northern ice and snow, cause more sunlight absorption, and melting of the ice.
"The general air flow is from west to east, but there is also some serious concern that the polar regions could be affected by this pollution. That could have potentially catastrophic results."
Soot, in the form of black carbon, can collect on ice packs and attract more heat from the sun, meaning a potential acceleration of melting of the polar ice caps, he believes.
"It possibly means the polar ice caps could melt quicker than we had believed, which of course, results in rising sea level rates," he adds.
The speed of Chinese economic development and growth in energy consumption is breathtaking.
In November, the International Energy Agency projected that China will become the world's largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in 2009, overtaking the United States nearly a decade earlier than previously anticipated. Coal is expected to be responsible for three-quarters of that carbon dioxide.
And the problem will get worse. Between now and 2020, China's energy consumption will more than double, according to expert estimates.
China has hundreds of new coal electric plants planned.
China's emissions regulations that exist are widely ignored.
The problem is that IGCC plants still cost about 10 percent to 20 percent more per megawatt than pulverized-coal-fired power plants. (And that's without carbon dioxide capture.) China's power producers--much like their counterparts in the United States and Europe--are waiting for a financial or political reason to make the switch. In part, what's been missing is regulation that penalizes conventional coal plants. And China's environmental agencies lack the resources and power to make companies comply even with regulations already on the books. Top officials in Beijing admit that their edicts are widely ignored, as new power plants are erected without environmental assessments and, according to some sources, without required equipment for pollution control.
I find the Western emphasis on Kyoto CO2 emissions reductions somehow quaint. It assumes we've moved on from worrying about already conquered problems with conventional ground level pollutants that directly harm health. But the environmental impact of Asian industrialization does not fit with that view.
Technologies that allow emissions reduction have already been developed in the West and those technologies keep getting better due to tightening environmental regulations in Western countries. So in theory China and India could adopt those technologies. But since those technologies raise costs use of them requires a willingness to pay a price. That price is obviously higher than they are willing to pay.
The Asian pollution problem highlights another reason why we'd benefit from the development of ways to cheaply generate energy without use of fossil fuels. If nuclear, solar, wind, and other energy technologies become cheaper than fossil fuels then the industrializing Asian countries would switch to these technologies without first achieving levels of per capita GDP high enough to trigger the development of large scale environmental movements.
Update: Other recent research finds less rain in China's mountains due to pollution.
Jerusalem, March 7, 2007 -- Manmade climate change due to pollution seriously inhibits precipitation over hills in semi-arid regions, a phenomenon with dire consequences for water resources in the Middle east and many other parts of the world, a study by a Chinese-Israeli research team, led by Prof. Daniel Rosenfeld of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has shown.
The Chinese and Israeli researchers showed that the average precipitation on Mount Hua near Xian in central China has decreased by 20 percent along with increasing levels of manmade air pollution during the last 50 years. The precipitation loss was doubled on days that had the poorest visibility due to pollution particles in the air. This explains the widely observed trends of decrease in mountain precipitation relative to the rainfall in nearby densely populated lowlands, which until now had not been directly ascribed to air pollution.
Here is the paper in Science.
Industrialization in countries holding a few billion people creates environment problems on a scale which we have not seen previously. This comes on top of Western pollution.
Update II: An article from the June 11, 2006 New York Times illustrates the scale of China's pollution problems.
In early April, a dense cloud of pollutants over Northern China sailed to nearby Seoul, sweeping along dust and desert sand before wafting across the Pacific. An American satellite spotted the cloud as it crossed the West Coast.
Researchers in California, Oregon and Washington noticed specks of sulfur compounds, carbon and other byproducts of coal combustion coating the silvery surfaces of their mountaintop detectors. These microscopic particles can work their way deep into the lungs, contributing to respiratory damage, heart disease and cancer.
Filters near Lake Tahoe in the mountains of eastern California "are the darkest that we've seen" outside smoggy urban areas, said Steven S. Cliff, an atmospheric scientist at the University of California at Davis.
The same double digit percentage increase becomes a larger absolute increase each year. Then there's India.
Already, China uses more coal than the United States, the European Union and Japan combined. And it has increased coal consumption 14 percent in each of the past two years in the broadest industrialization ever. Every week to 10 days, another coal-fired power plant opens somewhere in China that is big enough to serve all the households in Dallas or San Diego.
To make matters worse, India is right behind China in stepping up its construction of coal-fired power plants — and has a population expected to outstrip China's by 2030.
When China reaches the same total GDP as the United States the Chinese will pollute far more than Americans because China will have much lower living standards per person. At that point China will have less than a quarter the per capita GDP and far less accumulated assets in the form of houses, cars, and gadgets. So Chinese people will be more interested in accumulating assets than in pollution reduction.
The positive correlation between living standards and interest in pollution reduction means we need to accelerate the development of energy technologies that are both cheaper and less polluting. Uptake of technologies that are both cleaner and cheaper does not require development of a big mass environmental protection movement in China and India. Market forces alone will drive the shift away from dirtier technologies.
By Randall Parker at 2007 March 10 08:54 PM Trends Climate | TrackBack
Once living standards in a country get high enough people in that country start wanting to reduce pollution. The environmental movement did not take off in the United States in the 1960s because college students were taking LSD and mushrooms. The US reached a point where people had enough possessions that other desires and needs became important. Our problem with China, India, and other Asian countries is that they've rising emissions of pollutants from a few billion people with too many years to go before they reach living standards high enough to care about pollution control.
To put it another way: When the United States and Europe went through industrialization they had a lot fewer people doing the industrializing. First off, the US and Europe had a much smaller populations 100 years ago than they do today. Second, even today the US has a population less than a quarter of China's. India's population will reach 1.4 billion in 2025 and 1.6 billion by 2050 or more than 5 times America's population today. While elites in First World fully industrialized countries are worried about carbon dioxide emissions the Chinese and Indians haven't even graduated to the level of caring much about particulates and oxides of sulfur and nitrogen and the like. The quality of air in Chinese cities is getting worse as coal burning power plants get built at a frenetic pace.
I see this as a big and underappreciated problem for the future. Asian industrialization in such large populations pushes billions of people up into the ranks of polluters many years before they reach the ranks of yuppie environmentalists. Here's some new research on the effects that Asian air pollution is having on northern Pacific Ocean weather.
COLLEGE STATION – Severe pollution from the Far East is almost certainly affecting the weather near you, says a Texas A&M University researcher who has studied the problem and has published a landmark paper on the topic in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Renyi Zhang, professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M and lead author of the paper, says the study is the first of its kind that provides indisputable evidence that man-made pollution is adversely affecting the storm track over the Pacific Ocean, a major weather event in the northern hemisphere during winter. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA.
Zhang says the culprit is easy to detect: pollution from industrial and power plants in China and India. Both countries have seen huge increases in their economies, which means more large factories and power plants to sustain such growth. All of these emit immense quantities of pollution – much of it soot and sulfate aerosols – into the atmosphere, which is carried by the prevailing winds over the Pacific Ocean and eventually worldwide.
Using satellite imagery and computer models, Zhang says that in roughly the last 20 years or so, the amount of deep convective clouds in this area increased from 20 to 50 percent, suggesting an intensified storm track in the Pacific.
Dr. Zhang is also concerned that soot could deposit on northern ice and snow, cause more sunlight absorption, and melting of the ice.
"The general air flow is from west to east, but there is also some serious concern that the polar regions could be affected by this pollution. That could have potentially catastrophic results."
Soot, in the form of black carbon, can collect on ice packs and attract more heat from the sun, meaning a potential acceleration of melting of the polar ice caps, he believes.
"It possibly means the polar ice caps could melt quicker than we had believed, which of course, results in rising sea level rates," he adds.
The speed of Chinese economic development and growth in energy consumption is breathtaking.
In November, the International Energy Agency projected that China will become the world's largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in 2009, overtaking the United States nearly a decade earlier than previously anticipated. Coal is expected to be responsible for three-quarters of that carbon dioxide.
And the problem will get worse. Between now and 2020, China's energy consumption will more than double, according to expert estimates.
China has hundreds of new coal electric plants planned.
China's emissions regulations that exist are widely ignored.
The problem is that IGCC plants still cost about 10 percent to 20 percent more per megawatt than pulverized-coal-fired power plants. (And that's without carbon dioxide capture.) China's power producers--much like their counterparts in the United States and Europe--are waiting for a financial or political reason to make the switch. In part, what's been missing is regulation that penalizes conventional coal plants. And China's environmental agencies lack the resources and power to make companies comply even with regulations already on the books. Top officials in Beijing admit that their edicts are widely ignored, as new power plants are erected without environmental assessments and, according to some sources, without required equipment for pollution control.
I find the Western emphasis on Kyoto CO2 emissions reductions somehow quaint. It assumes we've moved on from worrying about already conquered problems with conventional ground level pollutants that directly harm health. But the environmental impact of Asian industrialization does not fit with that view.
Technologies that allow emissions reduction have already been developed in the West and those technologies keep getting better due to tightening environmental regulations in Western countries. So in theory China and India could adopt those technologies. But since those technologies raise costs use of them requires a willingness to pay a price. That price is obviously higher than they are willing to pay.
The Asian pollution problem highlights another reason why we'd benefit from the development of ways to cheaply generate energy without use of fossil fuels. If nuclear, solar, wind, and other energy technologies become cheaper than fossil fuels then the industrializing Asian countries would switch to these technologies without first achieving levels of per capita GDP high enough to trigger the development of large scale environmental movements.
Update: Other recent research finds less rain in China's mountains due to pollution.
Jerusalem, March 7, 2007 -- Manmade climate change due to pollution seriously inhibits precipitation over hills in semi-arid regions, a phenomenon with dire consequences for water resources in the Middle east and many other parts of the world, a study by a Chinese-Israeli research team, led by Prof. Daniel Rosenfeld of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has shown.
The Chinese and Israeli researchers showed that the average precipitation on Mount Hua near Xian in central China has decreased by 20 percent along with increasing levels of manmade air pollution during the last 50 years. The precipitation loss was doubled on days that had the poorest visibility due to pollution particles in the air. This explains the widely observed trends of decrease in mountain precipitation relative to the rainfall in nearby densely populated lowlands, which until now had not been directly ascribed to air pollution.
Here is the paper in Science.
Industrialization in countries holding a few billion people creates environment problems on a scale which we have not seen previously. This comes on top of Western pollution.
Update II: An article from the June 11, 2006 New York Times illustrates the scale of China's pollution problems.
In early April, a dense cloud of pollutants over Northern China sailed to nearby Seoul, sweeping along dust and desert sand before wafting across the Pacific. An American satellite spotted the cloud as it crossed the West Coast.
Researchers in California, Oregon and Washington noticed specks of sulfur compounds, carbon and other byproducts of coal combustion coating the silvery surfaces of their mountaintop detectors. These microscopic particles can work their way deep into the lungs, contributing to respiratory damage, heart disease and cancer.
Filters near Lake Tahoe in the mountains of eastern California "are the darkest that we've seen" outside smoggy urban areas, said Steven S. Cliff, an atmospheric scientist at the University of California at Davis.
The same double digit percentage increase becomes a larger absolute increase each year. Then there's India.
Already, China uses more coal than the United States, the European Union and Japan combined. And it has increased coal consumption 14 percent in each of the past two years in the broadest industrialization ever. Every week to 10 days, another coal-fired power plant opens somewhere in China that is big enough to serve all the households in Dallas or San Diego.
To make matters worse, India is right behind China in stepping up its construction of coal-fired power plants — and has a population expected to outstrip China's by 2030.
When China reaches the same total GDP as the United States the Chinese will pollute far more than Americans because China will have much lower living standards per person. At that point China will have less than a quarter the per capita GDP and far less accumulated assets in the form of houses, cars, and gadgets. So Chinese people will be more interested in accumulating assets than in pollution reduction.
The positive correlation between living standards and interest in pollution reduction means we need to accelerate the development of energy technologies that are both cheaper and less polluting. Uptake of technologies that are both cleaner and cheaper does not require development of a big mass environmental protection movement in China and India. Market forces alone will drive the shift away from dirtier technologies.
By Randall Parker at 2007 March 10 08:54 PM Trends Climate | TrackBack
Winter woes: Delhi headed for air pollution disaster
dot.gif (88 bytes)Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) warns of smoggy, choking winter in Delhi
dot.gif (88 bytes)City at risk of losing the air quality gains from its past action because of rising vehicle numbers and its love for diesel as the fuel of choice. But evidence indicts diesel fumes as harbingers of cancer and other deadly ailments
New Delhi, November 14, 2006: With the mercury dipping, the air in Delhi has begun to get heavy with dust, smoke and particles. Calm and cool weather is blocking the dispersal of smoke and pollutants. Low-hanging shroud impairs visibility, chokes lungs. A new assessment by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) of the trends in the peak pollution levels during winter months since 1998 has revealed that pollution in winter -- despite a climb-down until 2003 -- has begun to rise once again. The two months of September and October during 2006 show rapid build-up of pollution. This winter is a reminder of the growing pollution crisis, and our inability to put into action the real solutions (see graph).
Sustaining the pollution control efforts for further reduction in pollution levels is turning out to be an enormous challenge due to the explosive increase in vehicle numbers in Delhi. Over the last 10 years, the total personal vehicle registration has recorded a staggering increase of 105 per cent. In the same period, cars alone have increased by 157 per cent -- an effect of excess indulgence in personal mobility.
It is shocking to note that diesel cars during the same period have increased by 425 per cent. The share of diesel cars, a mere 4 per cent of the total new car registration in 1999, has climbed to nearly 20 per cent in 2006. While petrol cars have increased at 8.5 per cent annually, diesel cars have maintained a growth rate of 16.6 per annum. This overwhelming growth can be devastating in a city desperate for solutions to smoke, particles and NOx.
So what if Delhi has phased out 12,000 diesel buses to escape from the lethal effect of toxic diesel particles -- even at a very conservative estimate, the 118,631 diesel cars on the city’s roads is equivalent to adding particulate emissions from nearly 30,000 diesel buses! While public transport buses, three-wheelers and most taxis in Delhi have been effectively kept away from dirty diesel, it is the personal car segment which is riding high on the cheap and toxic fuel. Diesel is making a comeback through personal transport and is threatening to nullify the impact of the CNG programme.
Officials warn that the number of bigger jeeps or SUVs, taken separately, could be much higher due to their daily influx from the surrounding satellite towns. A large number of these vehicles come to Delhi and leave the city during peak hours. Diesel cars and SUVs not only emit several times more particulates, but are also allowed to emit three times more NOx compared to a petrol car. Even the assessment of trends in fuel consumption in the city confirms that the total diesel fuel consumption that was lowered with the ascendancy of CNG in the beginning of this decade has begun to increase again.
This is very disturbing because deadly facts about diesel toxicity and evidence of the acute cancer-causing potential of diesel pollutants are pouring in from around the world. Diesel fumes have been found to bear a lot more particles and NOx than petrol exhaust and are several times more toxic. Clean diesel solutions are still not available in India.
Significant steps were taken in the last few years to combat air pollution in Delhi. These include the implementation of one of the largest ever CNG programme in the world, implementation of Euro II and III standards, lowering of fuel sulphur to 500 ppm and subsequently to 350 ppm, lowering of benzene to 1 per cent and capping of the age of the commercial vehicles at 15 years. These first generation measures had targeted to lower the deadly particulate pollution especially particulates from the poor quality diesel in the city. These mitigation efforts helped to stabilise particulates and substantially lower SO2 and CO. Substantial air quality gains were made possible with aggressive measures.
But new challenges have begun to surface that requires consistent, sustained and aggressive action. The particulate levels, despite stabilisation, are still very high. NOx levels record steady rise in Delhi. If not tracked immediately, this can sabotage one of the largest clean air programmes in the world.
Delhi will have to control the sheer numbers of cars and two-wheelers that are overpowering any attempts at change. Cars and two-wheelers take up nearly 90 per cent of the road space, meet less than 20 per cent of the travel demand and pollute excessively. The current efforts to augment the public transport buses and building of high capacity bus systems and the metro must gather momentum. The scale and the speed of this transition are critical to lower the numbers of cars and pollution in the city.
Earlier studies such as those conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences have shown that hospital admissions due to respiratory and cardiac symptoms increase manifold during the winter months in Delhi. CSE, therefore, warns that Delhi will require pollution emergency measures this winter to avoid a public health disaster:
* Initiate stringent on road checks for smoky vehicles. Harsh penalty should be imposed if vehicles are seen with visible smoke.
* Supportive measures are needed to intensify use of public transport this winter. Already, buses meet as much as 61 per cent of the travel demand in Delhi. Services of both metro and the existing bus system should be intensified to encourage maximum usage.
* Intensify dedicated bus and railway services between Delhi and the surrounding satellite towns to discourage commuting in cars.
* Encourage alternative-fuelled cars and discourage polluting cars, particularly on very high pollution days or in high pollution zones to be identified from the CPCB’s air pollution data.
For more details, please contact CSE’s Right to Clean Air Campaign at: 29955124,29956110 Ext. 221
Sign up for the Right to Clean Air Campaign’s monthly air pollution bulletin with news, views and analysis at the following link:
http://www.equitywatch.org/phplist/?p=subscribe&id=4
dot.gif (88 bytes)City at risk of losing the air quality gains from its past action because of rising vehicle numbers and its love for diesel as the fuel of choice. But evidence indicts diesel fumes as harbingers of cancer and other deadly ailments
New Delhi, November 14, 2006: With the mercury dipping, the air in Delhi has begun to get heavy with dust, smoke and particles. Calm and cool weather is blocking the dispersal of smoke and pollutants. Low-hanging shroud impairs visibility, chokes lungs. A new assessment by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) of the trends in the peak pollution levels during winter months since 1998 has revealed that pollution in winter -- despite a climb-down until 2003 -- has begun to rise once again. The two months of September and October during 2006 show rapid build-up of pollution. This winter is a reminder of the growing pollution crisis, and our inability to put into action the real solutions (see graph).
Sustaining the pollution control efforts for further reduction in pollution levels is turning out to be an enormous challenge due to the explosive increase in vehicle numbers in Delhi. Over the last 10 years, the total personal vehicle registration has recorded a staggering increase of 105 per cent. In the same period, cars alone have increased by 157 per cent -- an effect of excess indulgence in personal mobility.
It is shocking to note that diesel cars during the same period have increased by 425 per cent. The share of diesel cars, a mere 4 per cent of the total new car registration in 1999, has climbed to nearly 20 per cent in 2006. While petrol cars have increased at 8.5 per cent annually, diesel cars have maintained a growth rate of 16.6 per annum. This overwhelming growth can be devastating in a city desperate for solutions to smoke, particles and NOx.
So what if Delhi has phased out 12,000 diesel buses to escape from the lethal effect of toxic diesel particles -- even at a very conservative estimate, the 118,631 diesel cars on the city’s roads is equivalent to adding particulate emissions from nearly 30,000 diesel buses! While public transport buses, three-wheelers and most taxis in Delhi have been effectively kept away from dirty diesel, it is the personal car segment which is riding high on the cheap and toxic fuel. Diesel is making a comeback through personal transport and is threatening to nullify the impact of the CNG programme.
Officials warn that the number of bigger jeeps or SUVs, taken separately, could be much higher due to their daily influx from the surrounding satellite towns. A large number of these vehicles come to Delhi and leave the city during peak hours. Diesel cars and SUVs not only emit several times more particulates, but are also allowed to emit three times more NOx compared to a petrol car. Even the assessment of trends in fuel consumption in the city confirms that the total diesel fuel consumption that was lowered with the ascendancy of CNG in the beginning of this decade has begun to increase again.
This is very disturbing because deadly facts about diesel toxicity and evidence of the acute cancer-causing potential of diesel pollutants are pouring in from around the world. Diesel fumes have been found to bear a lot more particles and NOx than petrol exhaust and are several times more toxic. Clean diesel solutions are still not available in India.
Significant steps were taken in the last few years to combat air pollution in Delhi. These include the implementation of one of the largest ever CNG programme in the world, implementation of Euro II and III standards, lowering of fuel sulphur to 500 ppm and subsequently to 350 ppm, lowering of benzene to 1 per cent and capping of the age of the commercial vehicles at 15 years. These first generation measures had targeted to lower the deadly particulate pollution especially particulates from the poor quality diesel in the city. These mitigation efforts helped to stabilise particulates and substantially lower SO2 and CO. Substantial air quality gains were made possible with aggressive measures.
But new challenges have begun to surface that requires consistent, sustained and aggressive action. The particulate levels, despite stabilisation, are still very high. NOx levels record steady rise in Delhi. If not tracked immediately, this can sabotage one of the largest clean air programmes in the world.
Delhi will have to control the sheer numbers of cars and two-wheelers that are overpowering any attempts at change. Cars and two-wheelers take up nearly 90 per cent of the road space, meet less than 20 per cent of the travel demand and pollute excessively. The current efforts to augment the public transport buses and building of high capacity bus systems and the metro must gather momentum. The scale and the speed of this transition are critical to lower the numbers of cars and pollution in the city.
Earlier studies such as those conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences have shown that hospital admissions due to respiratory and cardiac symptoms increase manifold during the winter months in Delhi. CSE, therefore, warns that Delhi will require pollution emergency measures this winter to avoid a public health disaster:
* Initiate stringent on road checks for smoky vehicles. Harsh penalty should be imposed if vehicles are seen with visible smoke.
* Supportive measures are needed to intensify use of public transport this winter. Already, buses meet as much as 61 per cent of the travel demand in Delhi. Services of both metro and the existing bus system should be intensified to encourage maximum usage.
* Intensify dedicated bus and railway services between Delhi and the surrounding satellite towns to discourage commuting in cars.
* Encourage alternative-fuelled cars and discourage polluting cars, particularly on very high pollution days or in high pollution zones to be identified from the CPCB’s air pollution data.
For more details, please contact CSE’s Right to Clean Air Campaign at: 29955124,29956110 Ext. 221
Sign up for the Right to Clean Air Campaign’s monthly air pollution bulletin with news, views and analysis at the following link:
http://www.equitywatch.org/phplist/?p=subscribe&id=4
Asia's refiners sign agreement aiming toward cleaner fuels, vehicles, transport policies
Jack Peckham
A large group of major refiners in Asia jointly agreed to launch a long-term dialog with governments, vehicle/engine makers and environmental/health advocates--all aiming to improve air quality via cleaner fuels, vehicles and better transport planning.
In a joint statement signed by Bangchak Petroleum, BP, ChevronTexaco, ExxonMobil, Indian Oil, Pakistan State Oil, Petron, PTT (Thailand), Shell, Showa Shell Sekiyu, Singapore Petroleum, and Thai Oil, the companies announced their support for a long-term clean fuels/vehicles/transport-policy dialog involving Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia), which helped initiate the oil-company meeting in Singapore last month.
More oil companies in the region are expected to join the clean-fuels/clean-air dialog in coming months, following the Singapore organization meeting. Already, the group represents about half of Asia's refining capacity, and those joining in future would push the total well over 50%.
The joint oil-company statement recognizes that fuels and vehicles cause air pollution, but it urges multiple rather than uniform solutions. "We believe it is appropriate that a range of solutions be considered with the aim of identifying those which lead to the most balanced, cost-effective initiatives involving an acceptable overall cost to society," the oil-companies' joint statement says.
Many of the world's leading air-quality regulatory advocates urge that Asia's refiners move as quickly as possible to desulfurize fuels, in order to enable advanced, catalyzed vehicle/engine exhaust systems (see Diesel Fuel News 6/9/03, p1). Example: Asia Development Bank (ADB), one member of CAI-Asia, urges that Asia's governments "should aim for Euro-4 fuels with a maximum of 50-ppm sulfur" by 2010, coincident with Euro-4 vehicle emissions limits (Diesel Fuel News 6/23/03, PO.
However, the purpose of the new oil-company clean-fuels dialog isn't to pin the companies into region-wide limits by a specific deadline fight now. Rather, the point is to begin a process--the end-result of which is cleaner air for Asia, said Cornie Huizenga of the CAI-Asia secretariat.
~Common-Ground Sought At Start
"The attitude from both sides is: Let's focus on what binds us and not what divides us," Huizenga told Diesel Fuel News in a interview following the Singapore oil-companies' dialog "launch meeting."
"We will have divergent opinions on time-frames and levels, and that will occur among the oil companies, too. Even though this is a regional dialog, it's not intended that we come up with one fuel standard for Asia. For example, Hong Kong may do ULSD, but not China [at the same time]. Some countries are contemplating Euro-4 standards by 2010, but there will be countries in Asia moving at different speeds, and cities within countries moving at different speeds, as in India, where stricter standards are proposed for 'mega-cities.'"
CAI-Asia isn't a regulatory body but rather a facilitator of information, policy development and demonstration projects, designed to help companies and governments find cost-effective air quality solutions (see Diesel Fuel News 3/3/03, p 7).
"This process is expected to take some time," Huizenga explains. "Getting quick results via command-and-control would be difficult in much of Asia. So, while we want to strengthen air-quality regulatory capacity, we also want a dialog with industry. CAI-Asia's role is that of an honest broker, to play that role in a capable manner."
Bolstering this process is aid from "green" think-tank Hewlett Foundation, which recently agreed to recruit former U.S. EPA mobile-sources director Mike Walsh (now an international air-quality regulatory consultant) to help promote cleaner fuels/vehicles in Asia, Huizenga said.
Yet another recent addition to CAI-Asia efforts is former California Air Resources Board fuels regulatory expert John Curtis, who directed a study on the relationship between fuel quality and air quality in Thailand, Huizenga says. Also coming: A new fuel-quality/air quality study for Malaysia, which could lead to new fuel-quality policy decisions.
"The oil companies know that sooner or later, regulation will come," Huizenga told us. "Hong Kong has already moved to ULSD specifications, Korea announced a 30-ppm sulfur ULSD by 2006, and Japan is moving to desulfurize fuel. Discussions are also underway in Malaysia, Thailand and India.
"It's also clear that the oil industry would like consistent, predictable and transparent regulations. This is important not only for individual company one-on-one discussions with government, but also for industry-wide discussions. They want a fair hearing for their concerns."
Some of these future discussions could involve fiscal incentives for cleaner fuels, perhaps designed to encourage "early adopters" of ULSD, or to facilitate investment in desulfurization equipment. However, many CAI-Asia members believe such incentives should be temporary rather than open-ended subsidies that aren't economically sound, Huizenga explains.
The new oil-company dialog also will focus on related issues involving cleaner vehicles, engines, stationary-source emissions, vehicle maintenance, traffic planning and transport policy, he said.
"Strategies put in place in Asia should be based on sound analysis, before you decide what to do--before you decide, for example, on CNG [compressed natural gas] or clean-diesel fleets," he said.
Another possible area of future discussion is that of "fuel security," because some countries might fear that high costs of meeting tougher environmental and industry-efficiency standards could threaten the competitiveness of local refiners.
But no matter where these discussions eventually may go, a most encouraging sign is that the oil industry now wants to continue this dialog, he said.
Follow-up discussions on Asia fuel-quality strategies are being planned at the second Asia Fuels Conference, which CAI-Asia is co-organizing with Hart Worm Fuels Conference/ Asia-Australasia (October 27-28, in Sydney, Australia), along with an Environment Australia-supported CAI-Asia training workshop.
The training workshop will help air-quality regulators in Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Vietnam understand what to include in a fuel-quality strategy, what can be learned from experiences in other Asian countries, and how to develop an appropriate strategy for an individual country.
Air regulators will learn how to perform air-quality modeling exercises that show the emissions impact of different fuel qualities, fleet populations and fleet composition.
New data is coming to aid this process. Example: Indian oil companies are expected to put up $3 million for a new auto-fuel study, examining the impact of various fuel parameters on emissions. While this data could aid regulators in many parts of Asia, it also should have an impact on India's draft auto-fuel policy (see Diesel Fuel News 10/28/02, p1).
Separately, CAI-Asia is organizing Better Air Quality 2003 conference in Manila, Philippines, Dec. 17-19, featuring vehicle, fuel and emissions control strategies (including diesel fuel/emissions issues). More info: Cornie Huizenga (chuizenga@adb.org).
COPYRIGHT 2003 PBI Media, LLC
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
A large group of major refiners in Asia jointly agreed to launch a long-term dialog with governments, vehicle/engine makers and environmental/health advocates--all aiming to improve air quality via cleaner fuels, vehicles and better transport planning.
In a joint statement signed by Bangchak Petroleum, BP, ChevronTexaco, ExxonMobil, Indian Oil, Pakistan State Oil, Petron, PTT (Thailand), Shell, Showa Shell Sekiyu, Singapore Petroleum, and Thai Oil, the companies announced their support for a long-term clean fuels/vehicles/transport-policy dialog involving Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia), which helped initiate the oil-company meeting in Singapore last month.
More oil companies in the region are expected to join the clean-fuels/clean-air dialog in coming months, following the Singapore organization meeting. Already, the group represents about half of Asia's refining capacity, and those joining in future would push the total well over 50%.
The joint oil-company statement recognizes that fuels and vehicles cause air pollution, but it urges multiple rather than uniform solutions. "We believe it is appropriate that a range of solutions be considered with the aim of identifying those which lead to the most balanced, cost-effective initiatives involving an acceptable overall cost to society," the oil-companies' joint statement says.
Many of the world's leading air-quality regulatory advocates urge that Asia's refiners move as quickly as possible to desulfurize fuels, in order to enable advanced, catalyzed vehicle/engine exhaust systems (see Diesel Fuel News 6/9/03, p1). Example: Asia Development Bank (ADB), one member of CAI-Asia, urges that Asia's governments "should aim for Euro-4 fuels with a maximum of 50-ppm sulfur" by 2010, coincident with Euro-4 vehicle emissions limits (Diesel Fuel News 6/23/03, PO.
However, the purpose of the new oil-company clean-fuels dialog isn't to pin the companies into region-wide limits by a specific deadline fight now. Rather, the point is to begin a process--the end-result of which is cleaner air for Asia, said Cornie Huizenga of the CAI-Asia secretariat.
~Common-Ground Sought At Start
"The attitude from both sides is: Let's focus on what binds us and not what divides us," Huizenga told Diesel Fuel News in a interview following the Singapore oil-companies' dialog "launch meeting."
"We will have divergent opinions on time-frames and levels, and that will occur among the oil companies, too. Even though this is a regional dialog, it's not intended that we come up with one fuel standard for Asia. For example, Hong Kong may do ULSD, but not China [at the same time]. Some countries are contemplating Euro-4 standards by 2010, but there will be countries in Asia moving at different speeds, and cities within countries moving at different speeds, as in India, where stricter standards are proposed for 'mega-cities.'"
CAI-Asia isn't a regulatory body but rather a facilitator of information, policy development and demonstration projects, designed to help companies and governments find cost-effective air quality solutions (see Diesel Fuel News 3/3/03, p 7).
"This process is expected to take some time," Huizenga explains. "Getting quick results via command-and-control would be difficult in much of Asia. So, while we want to strengthen air-quality regulatory capacity, we also want a dialog with industry. CAI-Asia's role is that of an honest broker, to play that role in a capable manner."
Bolstering this process is aid from "green" think-tank Hewlett Foundation, which recently agreed to recruit former U.S. EPA mobile-sources director Mike Walsh (now an international air-quality regulatory consultant) to help promote cleaner fuels/vehicles in Asia, Huizenga said.
Yet another recent addition to CAI-Asia efforts is former California Air Resources Board fuels regulatory expert John Curtis, who directed a study on the relationship between fuel quality and air quality in Thailand, Huizenga says. Also coming: A new fuel-quality/air quality study for Malaysia, which could lead to new fuel-quality policy decisions.
"The oil companies know that sooner or later, regulation will come," Huizenga told us. "Hong Kong has already moved to ULSD specifications, Korea announced a 30-ppm sulfur ULSD by 2006, and Japan is moving to desulfurize fuel. Discussions are also underway in Malaysia, Thailand and India.
"It's also clear that the oil industry would like consistent, predictable and transparent regulations. This is important not only for individual company one-on-one discussions with government, but also for industry-wide discussions. They want a fair hearing for their concerns."
Some of these future discussions could involve fiscal incentives for cleaner fuels, perhaps designed to encourage "early adopters" of ULSD, or to facilitate investment in desulfurization equipment. However, many CAI-Asia members believe such incentives should be temporary rather than open-ended subsidies that aren't economically sound, Huizenga explains.
The new oil-company dialog also will focus on related issues involving cleaner vehicles, engines, stationary-source emissions, vehicle maintenance, traffic planning and transport policy, he said.
"Strategies put in place in Asia should be based on sound analysis, before you decide what to do--before you decide, for example, on CNG [compressed natural gas] or clean-diesel fleets," he said.
Another possible area of future discussion is that of "fuel security," because some countries might fear that high costs of meeting tougher environmental and industry-efficiency standards could threaten the competitiveness of local refiners.
But no matter where these discussions eventually may go, a most encouraging sign is that the oil industry now wants to continue this dialog, he said.
Follow-up discussions on Asia fuel-quality strategies are being planned at the second Asia Fuels Conference, which CAI-Asia is co-organizing with Hart Worm Fuels Conference/ Asia-Australasia (October 27-28, in Sydney, Australia), along with an Environment Australia-supported CAI-Asia training workshop.
The training workshop will help air-quality regulators in Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Vietnam understand what to include in a fuel-quality strategy, what can be learned from experiences in other Asian countries, and how to develop an appropriate strategy for an individual country.
Air regulators will learn how to perform air-quality modeling exercises that show the emissions impact of different fuel qualities, fleet populations and fleet composition.
New data is coming to aid this process. Example: Indian oil companies are expected to put up $3 million for a new auto-fuel study, examining the impact of various fuel parameters on emissions. While this data could aid regulators in many parts of Asia, it also should have an impact on India's draft auto-fuel policy (see Diesel Fuel News 10/28/02, p1).
Separately, CAI-Asia is organizing Better Air Quality 2003 conference in Manila, Philippines, Dec. 17-19, featuring vehicle, fuel and emissions control strategies (including diesel fuel/emissions issues). More info: Cornie Huizenga (chuizenga@adb.org).
COPYRIGHT 2003 PBI Media, LLC
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
Bangkok solution3 by american
Nighthawk Systems Receives Order From American Traffic Solutions, Inc.
Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:00am EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page| Recommend (0)
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powered by Sphere Sphere
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SAN ANTONIO--(Business Wire)--Nighthawk Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: NIHK), a leading provider of
intelligent wireless power control devices and solutions, today
announced that it has received an initial order from American Traffic
Solutions, Inc.("ATS"), a preferred provider of photo traffic and
electronic toll enforcement programs in North America with dominant
market share in New York, Texas, Arizona, Missouri, Pennsylvania,
Florida, and Louisiana. The initial order of 600 Nighthawk wireless
control units is expected to begin shipment this month with final
delivery to be received by May 2008. Nighthawk Systems has already
been notified to expect significant follow-on orders.
On September 25, 2007, ATS was granted the exclusive right to sell
or resell Nighthawk's wireless power control system for specific use
in automated photo traffic enforcement and electronic toll and traffic
management devices. Nighthawk designed and built a customized product
to be integrated into the industry leading ATS solution. As such, the
specialty product generates a higher return per unit to Nighthawk than
other standard products, yet offers more functionality and a quicker
return on investment to ATS than previously-used technologies.
ATS manufactures and markets vehicle traffic enforcement equipment
and systems. Privately held and headquartered in Arizona, ATS has been
rapidly growing over the past year as more city budgets have
tightened, increasing the need for tools beyond the patrol car to help
with traffic management and as the public has increasingly shown
support for the use of cameras as a safety precaution to crack down on
speeders and red-light runners. ATS has added over 200 employees in
the past year and is currently deploying product into 16 states. At
the core of ATS mission is its dedication to evolutionary technology.
By adding the Nighthawk wireless control system, the ATS system has
the ability to wirelessly access and control power to equipment at
each site independently and simultaneously from a central source.
H. Douglas Saathoff, Nighthawk's CEO, stated, "The sequential
improvement in our revenues each quarter over the past two years was
dominated by our success in the electric utility industry. With
today's announcement, we are establishing a new product line, a
fault-tolerant control system that provides secure and reliable access
in mission-critical and emergency situations. This product carries
higher returns than our current business and has applications in
numerous industries beyond the photo enforcement market. There is a
growing need for this product at ATS and within other communication
networks that require reliable, remote access to ensure that critical
equipment is working properly. Many internal and external factors
within a network can cause network components and digital equipment to
lockup or go down completely. Nighthawk is the only provider that
offers a wireless, out-of-band solution that enables on-demand access
to those critical components, ensuring that equipment is operating
when it needs to be. We look forward doing a great job addressing this
new opportunity."
About American Traffic Solutions, Inc.
Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, American Traffic Solutions is a
leading provider of technology and business solutions that support
traffic safety and electronic toll collection programs worldwide. ATS
is a private corporation, serving more than 100 municipalities and
government agencies. ATS is the largest provider of photo traffic
enforcement programs to America's big cities, with contracts in New
York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, San Diego and
Seattle; Houston, Fort Worth, Irving and Arlington, Texas; New Orleans
and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Glendale and
Scottsdale, Arizona. ATS is also responsible for the supply and
support of Canada's largest digital red light camera and speed
enforcement program in Calgary, Alberta.
About Nighthawk Systems, Inc.
Nighthawk is a leading provider of intelligent devices and systems
that allow for the centralized, on-demand management of assets and
processes. Nighthawk products are used throughout the United States in
a variety of mission critical applications, including remotely turning
on and off and rebooting devices, activating alarms, and emergency
notification, including the display of custom messages. Nighthawk's
IPTV set top boxes are utilized by the hospitality industry to provide
in-room standard and high definition television and video on demand.
Forward-looking statements
Statements contained in this release, which are not historical
facts, including statements about plans and expectations regarding
business areas and opportunities, acceptance of new or existing
businesses, capital resources and future business or financial results
are "forward-looking" statements. You should not place undue reliance
on these forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements
are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to,
customer acceptance of our products, our ability to raise capital to
fund our operations, our ability to develop and protect proprietary
technology, government regulation, competition in our industry,
general economic conditions and other risk factors which could cause
actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in
the forward-looking statements. Although we believe the expectations
reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, they
relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made,
and our future results, levels of activity, performance or
achievements may not meet these expectations. We do not intend to
update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this
press release to conform these statements to actual results or to
changes in our expectations, except as required by law.
Nighthawk Systems, Inc.
Doug Saathoff, (877) 7-NIGHTHAWK, Ext 701
dsaathoff@nighthawksystems.com
Or
Grannus Financial Advisors, Inc
Yvonne Zappulla, Managing Director, 212-681-4108
Yvonne@grannusfinancial.com
Or
American Traffic Solutions
Josh Weiss, 480-443-7010
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Josh.weiss@atsol.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:00am EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page| Recommend (0)
[-] Text [+]
powered by Sphere Sphere
Featured Broker sponsored link
Money Center
Learn to Trade with a FREE Guide.
SAN ANTONIO--(Business Wire)--Nighthawk Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: NIHK), a leading provider of
intelligent wireless power control devices and solutions, today
announced that it has received an initial order from American Traffic
Solutions, Inc.("ATS"), a preferred provider of photo traffic and
electronic toll enforcement programs in North America with dominant
market share in New York, Texas, Arizona, Missouri, Pennsylvania,
Florida, and Louisiana. The initial order of 600 Nighthawk wireless
control units is expected to begin shipment this month with final
delivery to be received by May 2008. Nighthawk Systems has already
been notified to expect significant follow-on orders.
On September 25, 2007, ATS was granted the exclusive right to sell
or resell Nighthawk's wireless power control system for specific use
in automated photo traffic enforcement and electronic toll and traffic
management devices. Nighthawk designed and built a customized product
to be integrated into the industry leading ATS solution. As such, the
specialty product generates a higher return per unit to Nighthawk than
other standard products, yet offers more functionality and a quicker
return on investment to ATS than previously-used technologies.
ATS manufactures and markets vehicle traffic enforcement equipment
and systems. Privately held and headquartered in Arizona, ATS has been
rapidly growing over the past year as more city budgets have
tightened, increasing the need for tools beyond the patrol car to help
with traffic management and as the public has increasingly shown
support for the use of cameras as a safety precaution to crack down on
speeders and red-light runners. ATS has added over 200 employees in
the past year and is currently deploying product into 16 states. At
the core of ATS mission is its dedication to evolutionary technology.
By adding the Nighthawk wireless control system, the ATS system has
the ability to wirelessly access and control power to equipment at
each site independently and simultaneously from a central source.
H. Douglas Saathoff, Nighthawk's CEO, stated, "The sequential
improvement in our revenues each quarter over the past two years was
dominated by our success in the electric utility industry. With
today's announcement, we are establishing a new product line, a
fault-tolerant control system that provides secure and reliable access
in mission-critical and emergency situations. This product carries
higher returns than our current business and has applications in
numerous industries beyond the photo enforcement market. There is a
growing need for this product at ATS and within other communication
networks that require reliable, remote access to ensure that critical
equipment is working properly. Many internal and external factors
within a network can cause network components and digital equipment to
lockup or go down completely. Nighthawk is the only provider that
offers a wireless, out-of-band solution that enables on-demand access
to those critical components, ensuring that equipment is operating
when it needs to be. We look forward doing a great job addressing this
new opportunity."
About American Traffic Solutions, Inc.
Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, American Traffic Solutions is a
leading provider of technology and business solutions that support
traffic safety and electronic toll collection programs worldwide. ATS
is a private corporation, serving more than 100 municipalities and
government agencies. ATS is the largest provider of photo traffic
enforcement programs to America's big cities, with contracts in New
York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, San Diego and
Seattle; Houston, Fort Worth, Irving and Arlington, Texas; New Orleans
and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Glendale and
Scottsdale, Arizona. ATS is also responsible for the supply and
support of Canada's largest digital red light camera and speed
enforcement program in Calgary, Alberta.
About Nighthawk Systems, Inc.
Nighthawk is a leading provider of intelligent devices and systems
that allow for the centralized, on-demand management of assets and
processes. Nighthawk products are used throughout the United States in
a variety of mission critical applications, including remotely turning
on and off and rebooting devices, activating alarms, and emergency
notification, including the display of custom messages. Nighthawk's
IPTV set top boxes are utilized by the hospitality industry to provide
in-room standard and high definition television and video on demand.
Forward-looking statements
Statements contained in this release, which are not historical
facts, including statements about plans and expectations regarding
business areas and opportunities, acceptance of new or existing
businesses, capital resources and future business or financial results
are "forward-looking" statements. You should not place undue reliance
on these forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements
are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to,
customer acceptance of our products, our ability to raise capital to
fund our operations, our ability to develop and protect proprietary
technology, government regulation, competition in our industry,
general economic conditions and other risk factors which could cause
actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in
the forward-looking statements. Although we believe the expectations
reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, they
relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made,
and our future results, levels of activity, performance or
achievements may not meet these expectations. We do not intend to
update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this
press release to conform these statements to actual results or to
changes in our expectations, except as required by law.
Nighthawk Systems, Inc.
Doug Saathoff, (877) 7-NIGHTHAWK, Ext 701
dsaathoff@nighthawksystems.com
Or
Grannus Financial Advisors, Inc
Yvonne Zappulla, Managing Director, 212-681-4108
Yvonne@grannusfinancial.com
Or
American Traffic Solutions
Josh Weiss, 480-443-7010
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Josh.weiss@atsol.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
Bangkok solution2 (wth attached file)
Transportation Systems
Bangkok Transit System
Thailand
Turnkey Project
TK_Bangkok.qxd 14.08.2006 17:22 Uhr Seite 6
From 1995 to 1999, Siemens Transporta-
tion Systems was responsible for suc-
cessful implementation of the Bangkok
Transit System (BTS) turnkey project.
During that time, Siemens Transporta-
tion Systems substantially contributed
to providing an efficient solution for the
following initial situation.
The breathtaking rise of Bangkok to one
of Asia’s prime economic locations had
posed a fundamental problem to the city
fathers: how to ensure the mobility of
the millions of people who had to travel
through this boomtown every day.
An Efficient Urban Transit System –
Foundation for Economic Upturn
82% of all daily journeys were by bus,
car, motorbike or taxi. As a result, large
parts of Bangkok’s infrastructure were
congested and traffic jams were a daily
hassle. The travel speed in downtown
Bangkok was generally less than 10kph.
Not only commuter mobility was affect-
ed, but also the quality of everyday life.
The situation had deteriorated to the
point where Bangkok was suffering from
one of the highest levels of air pollution
in the world. Besides that, the popula-
tion of Bangkok had grown tremendously
– and with it private car ownership. So it
was no wonder that an efficient mass
transit system was seen as vital for the
further economic upturn of the city.
New Transportation Structure
for a Better Quality of Life
Therefore, Bangkok took on the huge
task of getting traffic moving again.
Not by simply expanding road transport
but by adding a railway infrastructure
to attract road users to other modes of
transport. That lessened the traffic
burden on the streets, cut exhaust emis-
sions and enhanced the quality of life in
the city.
An Efficient Urban Transit System
for the Future
TK_Bangkok.qxd 14.08.2006 17:22 Uhr Seite 1
Bangkok Transit System
Lines and Stations
Length of Sukhumvit Line 16.8km
Length of Silom Line 6.3km
Number of stations on
Sukhumvit Line 17
Number of stations on
Silom Line 7
(one common central station)
Distance between stations 0.6–1.4km
Track gauge 1,435 mm
Direct fixed track
Third rail 750 VDC
Transport Capacity
Sukhumvit Line 22,500 pphpd
Silom Line 13,500 pphpd
Average travel speed 35kph
Minimum service interval 2 min
Operating hours 5 a.m.–12p.m.
No. of trains 35 three-car trains
Trains
Maximum speed 80kph
Length (three-car train) 65.1m
Traction control IGBT
Air-conditioning 2 units per car
The Turnkey Principle
Project > Project planning
management > Project control
> Project supervision
System > Traction power supply
integration > Cabling and wiring
> Control systems
> Safety systems
> Telecommunications
> Infrastructure
> Civil engineering
> Service/maintenance
> Training
> Rolling stock
Central Station
Chaopraya
River
Over the entire term of the project–from
the preliminary planning phase through
implementation to after-sales support –
all subsystems are optimally coordinated
to ensure the highest standard of quality
and safety. Internationally experienced
and superbly trained, our project manage-
ment team is there on the scene to act as
contact partner for the customer. Siemens
provides transparent and efficient project
management guaranteeing smooth pro-
gress and on-time completion of the work
as well as maximum availability of the
system. The result is that very often the
project is completed ahead of schedule.
The operator takes over a turnkey system
or subsystem that is tried, tested and fully
operational. On request, Siemens will even
assume responsibility for maintenance and
technical operation of the system. Satis-
fied customers and over 30 successful
turnkey projects worldwide testify to the
quality of mobility solutions from Siemens
Transportation Systems.
Sukhumvit Line
Silom Line
Future station
Victory
Monument
Mor Chit Depot
Turnkey Competence from Siemens
Attractive, cost-effective and environmen-
tally clean mobility solutions are needed
today more than ever before. Making
such transportation systems a reality is
an extremely complex task, which is why
they are often handled on a turnkey basis.
Siemens meets this demand by offering
not only technically innovative systems,
but also immense competence in project
management, system integration, project
development and financing to ensure that
operators the world over are supplied with
safe, efficient and customised solutions
that meet their transportation needs.
Highest Quality and Safety
When implementing turnkey projects,
Siemens Transportation Systems is in a
position to reduce interfaces, streamline
timetables and therefore consistently cut
costs. Cost-effective turnkey implementa-
tion starts immediately in the preliminary
project phase, when it comes to choosing
the right transport system or taking ad-
vantage of cost-saving potential offered
by existing system structures.
Prepared for Every
Eventuality
TK_Bangkok.qxd 14.08.2006 17:22 Uhr Seite 4
Typical column
and viaduct
The Modern Traffic Solution –
Bangkok Transit System (BTS)
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
(BMA) has initiated three mass transit
system projects. One of them represents
the most advanced type of urban rail-
way, the Bangkok Transit System (BTS),
an elevated heavy rail system running
above the business district of Bangkok.
The bottom line: it’s a safe, comfortable
and, above all, fast urban transit system.
The BTS comprises:
>the Sukhumvit Line, running
16.8km from On Nut to the
Mo Chit Bus Terminal
> the Silom Line, running 6.3km
from the National Stadium to
Sathorn Bridge
> 23 stations, spaced at distances
of 600m to 1,400 m
> a depot with stabling yard and
workshop
> and an administration building
with control centre
Space-saving Construction
in Cramped Urban Conditions:
12m above Grade
Trains operate on dual tracks directly
fixed to concrete plinths carried on a
9m-wide viaduct. Concrete columns
rising approximately 12m above the
roadway median support the single-box
viaduct girders.
Piled foundations extend some 50m
underground. This well-proven construc-
tion technique is particularly suited to
the difficult site conditions and the re-
quirement to save valuable space in the
main city centres of Bangkok.
Link with the Entire Railway
System – and with the Future
Each three-car train carries up to 1,100
passengers. Independent ridership stu-
dies show that the BTS, running three-car
or six-car units from 5a.m. to 12p.m.
every day, attracts approximately
650,000 passengers daily and more than
triples the average travel speed to 35kph.
In the start-up phase, the transport ca-
pacity is 22,500 passengers per hour and
per direction (pphpd) for the Sukhumvit
Line at a service interval of 2 minutes in
peak periods. For the Silom Line, the
transport capacity is 13,500pphpd.The
BTS will be linked with the other railway
systems being built in Bangkok.
The Cars: Comfortable and Safe
All cars are air-conditioned and connected
by means of intercar gangways. Passen-
gers enjoy the feeling of all-around com-
fort, safe and quick transport.
The Environmental Benefits
The BTS is an environmentally sound
solution for a congested city:
> it reduces Bangkok’s precious space
and road surface only minimally
> all cars are powered by electric motors
fed by an electrified third rail, thus
avoiding air pollution
> it incorporates a signalling system
that allows automatic operation of
the trains at optimum performance
and therefore energy-efficient driving
conditions
> power is recovered
from braking
Milestones
April 9,1992 Concession agreement signed
March 10,1993 Turnkey tender documents released to five consortia
July 15,1994 Memorandum of Agreement awarding turnkey construction to the
Siemens-Italian Thai Consortium
October 3,1994 HRH the Crown Prince presides over the laying of the foundation stone
February 28,1995 Piling commenced at Ratchadamri Road
July 4, 1995 Turnkey contract signed with Siemens-Italian Thai Consortium
October 3,1995 First segment erection at Ratchadamri Road
October 2,1996 Instruction to Commence after final settlement of the financing
April 17, 1998 Rollout of the first train at Siemens’ factory in Vienna, Austria
May 1998 Start of train test runs at Siemens’ test centre in Wegberg-Wildenrath, Germany
Start of training of BTSC’s operations personnel by Siemens
October 1998 Arrival of first train in Bangkok, start of on-site tests of all subsystems
January 1999 Completion of viaduct construction
August 1999 Overall system testing period starts
December 1999 Ready for public operation
TK_Bangkok.qxd 14.08.2006 17:22 Uhr Seite 2
BTS – The Success Story
The concession for the BTS was awarded
to Bangkok Mass Transit System Public
Company Ltd.(BTSC) on April 9,1992.
The turnkey construction contract for the
Sukhumvit and Silom Lines was awarded
to the Siemens-Italian Thai Consortium
on July 4, 1995. Siemens, as leader of
the consortium, was responsible for the
E&M works including system maintenance
during the first five years and system
performance. Italian Thai, responsible
for design and construction of the civil
works, is one of the biggest construction
companies in Thailand.
Sound Financing Concept
BMA recognised that it is no longer the
role of governments to fund infrastructure
projects. Instead, the Siam Commercial
Bank, the German Kreditanstalt für Wieder-
aufbau (Reconstruction Loan Corporation)
and the IFC ensured the sound financing
of the project in terms of cash flow and
capital structure on a limited recourse
basis. With the start of commercial oper-
ation, BTSC derives all revenue from oper-
ation of the two lines over a 30-year period.
During the first five years of operation,
Siemens remains responsible for main-
tenance of the system. When the 30-year
concession ends, all the equipment be-
comes the property of BMA as part of a so-
called BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model.
Smooth Implementation
The participation of only two companies
in this consortium and the installation of
the contractors’ and customer’s project
management at one location in Bangkok
made a major contribution towards
smooth implementation. Italian Thai em-
ployed an average of 10,000 construction
personnel in Bangkok for design and con-
struction of the viaduct, stations, depot,
administration building and utility diver-
sions at any given time and mostly at
night so as not to obstruct daytime traffic.
Siemens as consortium leader was
responsible for the design, manufactur-
ing, installation and commissioning of
all electrical and mechanical equipment:
>Signalling
>Telecommunications
>Automatic fare collection
>Power supply system
>Scada system
>Third rail system
>Trackwork
>Workshop equipment
>Civil engineering services
>Rolling stock
Most of the design and manufacturing
activities took place in Europe. Before
shipment, the equipment went through
factory tests to ensure a smooth installa-
tion and commissioning process. The
trains were tested at Siemens’ test centre
at Wegberg-Wildenrath, Germany, thus
reducing testing time in Bangkok.
Siemens also performed the planning
and execution of training for the custo-
mer’s operations staff and finally the
overall system tests.
Altogether, it took the consortium mere-
ly four and a half years to implement this
turnkey project – from contract signature
to the start of BTS operations.
Bangkok Can Breathe Again
With the new millennium, BTS offers its
passengers speed and reliability, proving
to be a very attractive alternative to road
travel. The Sukhumvit and Silom Lines
ensure that Bangkok can breathe again.
TK_Bangkok.qxd 14.08.2006 17:22 Uhr Seite 3
www.siemens.com/transportation
Siemens AG
Transportation Systems
Turnkey Systems
P.O. Box 910220
D-12414 Berlin, Germany
Phone: (+49) 30-386-50
Fax: (+49) 30-386-51050
www.siemens.com/transportation/
turnkey-systems
© Siemens AG 2006
Printed in Germany
PPG147170114PA08062.0
Order No.: A19100-V400-B551-V2-7600
The information in this document contains general
descriptions of the technical options available, which
do not always have to be present in individual cases.
The required features should therefore be specified
in each individual case at the time of closing the
contract.
TK_Bangkok.qxd 14.08.2006 17:22 Uhr Seite 5
Bangkok Transit System
Thailand
Turnkey Project
TK_Bangkok.qxd 14.08.2006 17:22 Uhr Seite 6
From 1995 to 1999, Siemens Transporta-
tion Systems was responsible for suc-
cessful implementation of the Bangkok
Transit System (BTS) turnkey project.
During that time, Siemens Transporta-
tion Systems substantially contributed
to providing an efficient solution for the
following initial situation.
The breathtaking rise of Bangkok to one
of Asia’s prime economic locations had
posed a fundamental problem to the city
fathers: how to ensure the mobility of
the millions of people who had to travel
through this boomtown every day.
An Efficient Urban Transit System –
Foundation for Economic Upturn
82% of all daily journeys were by bus,
car, motorbike or taxi. As a result, large
parts of Bangkok’s infrastructure were
congested and traffic jams were a daily
hassle. The travel speed in downtown
Bangkok was generally less than 10kph.
Not only commuter mobility was affect-
ed, but also the quality of everyday life.
The situation had deteriorated to the
point where Bangkok was suffering from
one of the highest levels of air pollution
in the world. Besides that, the popula-
tion of Bangkok had grown tremendously
– and with it private car ownership. So it
was no wonder that an efficient mass
transit system was seen as vital for the
further economic upturn of the city.
New Transportation Structure
for a Better Quality of Life
Therefore, Bangkok took on the huge
task of getting traffic moving again.
Not by simply expanding road transport
but by adding a railway infrastructure
to attract road users to other modes of
transport. That lessened the traffic
burden on the streets, cut exhaust emis-
sions and enhanced the quality of life in
the city.
An Efficient Urban Transit System
for the Future
TK_Bangkok.qxd 14.08.2006 17:22 Uhr Seite 1
Bangkok Transit System
Lines and Stations
Length of Sukhumvit Line 16.8km
Length of Silom Line 6.3km
Number of stations on
Sukhumvit Line 17
Number of stations on
Silom Line 7
(one common central station)
Distance between stations 0.6–1.4km
Track gauge 1,435 mm
Direct fixed track
Third rail 750 VDC
Transport Capacity
Sukhumvit Line 22,500 pphpd
Silom Line 13,500 pphpd
Average travel speed 35kph
Minimum service interval 2 min
Operating hours 5 a.m.–12p.m.
No. of trains 35 three-car trains
Trains
Maximum speed 80kph
Length (three-car train) 65.1m
Traction control IGBT
Air-conditioning 2 units per car
The Turnkey Principle
Project > Project planning
management > Project control
> Project supervision
System > Traction power supply
integration > Cabling and wiring
> Control systems
> Safety systems
> Telecommunications
> Infrastructure
> Civil engineering
> Service/maintenance
> Training
> Rolling stock
Central Station
Chaopraya
River
Over the entire term of the project–from
the preliminary planning phase through
implementation to after-sales support –
all subsystems are optimally coordinated
to ensure the highest standard of quality
and safety. Internationally experienced
and superbly trained, our project manage-
ment team is there on the scene to act as
contact partner for the customer. Siemens
provides transparent and efficient project
management guaranteeing smooth pro-
gress and on-time completion of the work
as well as maximum availability of the
system. The result is that very often the
project is completed ahead of schedule.
The operator takes over a turnkey system
or subsystem that is tried, tested and fully
operational. On request, Siemens will even
assume responsibility for maintenance and
technical operation of the system. Satis-
fied customers and over 30 successful
turnkey projects worldwide testify to the
quality of mobility solutions from Siemens
Transportation Systems.
Sukhumvit Line
Silom Line
Future station
Victory
Monument
Mor Chit Depot
Turnkey Competence from Siemens
Attractive, cost-effective and environmen-
tally clean mobility solutions are needed
today more than ever before. Making
such transportation systems a reality is
an extremely complex task, which is why
they are often handled on a turnkey basis.
Siemens meets this demand by offering
not only technically innovative systems,
but also immense competence in project
management, system integration, project
development and financing to ensure that
operators the world over are supplied with
safe, efficient and customised solutions
that meet their transportation needs.
Highest Quality and Safety
When implementing turnkey projects,
Siemens Transportation Systems is in a
position to reduce interfaces, streamline
timetables and therefore consistently cut
costs. Cost-effective turnkey implementa-
tion starts immediately in the preliminary
project phase, when it comes to choosing
the right transport system or taking ad-
vantage of cost-saving potential offered
by existing system structures.
Prepared for Every
Eventuality
TK_Bangkok.qxd 14.08.2006 17:22 Uhr Seite 4
Typical column
and viaduct
The Modern Traffic Solution –
Bangkok Transit System (BTS)
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
(BMA) has initiated three mass transit
system projects. One of them represents
the most advanced type of urban rail-
way, the Bangkok Transit System (BTS),
an elevated heavy rail system running
above the business district of Bangkok.
The bottom line: it’s a safe, comfortable
and, above all, fast urban transit system.
The BTS comprises:
>the Sukhumvit Line, running
16.8km from On Nut to the
Mo Chit Bus Terminal
> the Silom Line, running 6.3km
from the National Stadium to
Sathorn Bridge
> 23 stations, spaced at distances
of 600m to 1,400 m
> a depot with stabling yard and
workshop
> and an administration building
with control centre
Space-saving Construction
in Cramped Urban Conditions:
12m above Grade
Trains operate on dual tracks directly
fixed to concrete plinths carried on a
9m-wide viaduct. Concrete columns
rising approximately 12m above the
roadway median support the single-box
viaduct girders.
Piled foundations extend some 50m
underground. This well-proven construc-
tion technique is particularly suited to
the difficult site conditions and the re-
quirement to save valuable space in the
main city centres of Bangkok.
Link with the Entire Railway
System – and with the Future
Each three-car train carries up to 1,100
passengers. Independent ridership stu-
dies show that the BTS, running three-car
or six-car units from 5a.m. to 12p.m.
every day, attracts approximately
650,000 passengers daily and more than
triples the average travel speed to 35kph.
In the start-up phase, the transport ca-
pacity is 22,500 passengers per hour and
per direction (pphpd) for the Sukhumvit
Line at a service interval of 2 minutes in
peak periods. For the Silom Line, the
transport capacity is 13,500pphpd.The
BTS will be linked with the other railway
systems being built in Bangkok.
The Cars: Comfortable and Safe
All cars are air-conditioned and connected
by means of intercar gangways. Passen-
gers enjoy the feeling of all-around com-
fort, safe and quick transport.
The Environmental Benefits
The BTS is an environmentally sound
solution for a congested city:
> it reduces Bangkok’s precious space
and road surface only minimally
> all cars are powered by electric motors
fed by an electrified third rail, thus
avoiding air pollution
> it incorporates a signalling system
that allows automatic operation of
the trains at optimum performance
and therefore energy-efficient driving
conditions
> power is recovered
from braking
Milestones
April 9,1992 Concession agreement signed
March 10,1993 Turnkey tender documents released to five consortia
July 15,1994 Memorandum of Agreement awarding turnkey construction to the
Siemens-Italian Thai Consortium
October 3,1994 HRH the Crown Prince presides over the laying of the foundation stone
February 28,1995 Piling commenced at Ratchadamri Road
July 4, 1995 Turnkey contract signed with Siemens-Italian Thai Consortium
October 3,1995 First segment erection at Ratchadamri Road
October 2,1996 Instruction to Commence after final settlement of the financing
April 17, 1998 Rollout of the first train at Siemens’ factory in Vienna, Austria
May 1998 Start of train test runs at Siemens’ test centre in Wegberg-Wildenrath, Germany
Start of training of BTSC’s operations personnel by Siemens
October 1998 Arrival of first train in Bangkok, start of on-site tests of all subsystems
January 1999 Completion of viaduct construction
August 1999 Overall system testing period starts
December 1999 Ready for public operation
TK_Bangkok.qxd 14.08.2006 17:22 Uhr Seite 2
BTS – The Success Story
The concession for the BTS was awarded
to Bangkok Mass Transit System Public
Company Ltd.(BTSC) on April 9,1992.
The turnkey construction contract for the
Sukhumvit and Silom Lines was awarded
to the Siemens-Italian Thai Consortium
on July 4, 1995. Siemens, as leader of
the consortium, was responsible for the
E&M works including system maintenance
during the first five years and system
performance. Italian Thai, responsible
for design and construction of the civil
works, is one of the biggest construction
companies in Thailand.
Sound Financing Concept
BMA recognised that it is no longer the
role of governments to fund infrastructure
projects. Instead, the Siam Commercial
Bank, the German Kreditanstalt für Wieder-
aufbau (Reconstruction Loan Corporation)
and the IFC ensured the sound financing
of the project in terms of cash flow and
capital structure on a limited recourse
basis. With the start of commercial oper-
ation, BTSC derives all revenue from oper-
ation of the two lines over a 30-year period.
During the first five years of operation,
Siemens remains responsible for main-
tenance of the system. When the 30-year
concession ends, all the equipment be-
comes the property of BMA as part of a so-
called BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model.
Smooth Implementation
The participation of only two companies
in this consortium and the installation of
the contractors’ and customer’s project
management at one location in Bangkok
made a major contribution towards
smooth implementation. Italian Thai em-
ployed an average of 10,000 construction
personnel in Bangkok for design and con-
struction of the viaduct, stations, depot,
administration building and utility diver-
sions at any given time and mostly at
night so as not to obstruct daytime traffic.
Siemens as consortium leader was
responsible for the design, manufactur-
ing, installation and commissioning of
all electrical and mechanical equipment:
>Signalling
>Telecommunications
>Automatic fare collection
>Power supply system
>Scada system
>Third rail system
>Trackwork
>Workshop equipment
>Civil engineering services
>Rolling stock
Most of the design and manufacturing
activities took place in Europe. Before
shipment, the equipment went through
factory tests to ensure a smooth installa-
tion and commissioning process. The
trains were tested at Siemens’ test centre
at Wegberg-Wildenrath, Germany, thus
reducing testing time in Bangkok.
Siemens also performed the planning
and execution of training for the custo-
mer’s operations staff and finally the
overall system tests.
Altogether, it took the consortium mere-
ly four and a half years to implement this
turnkey project – from contract signature
to the start of BTS operations.
Bangkok Can Breathe Again
With the new millennium, BTS offers its
passengers speed and reliability, proving
to be a very attractive alternative to road
travel. The Sukhumvit and Silom Lines
ensure that Bangkok can breathe again.
TK_Bangkok.qxd 14.08.2006 17:22 Uhr Seite 3
www.siemens.com/transportation
Siemens AG
Transportation Systems
Turnkey Systems
P.O. Box 910220
D-12414 Berlin, Germany
Phone: (+49) 30-386-50
Fax: (+49) 30-386-51050
www.siemens.com/transportation/
turnkey-systems
© Siemens AG 2006
Printed in Germany
PPG147170114PA08062.0
Order No.: A19100-V400-B551-V2-7600
The information in this document contains general
descriptions of the technical options available, which
do not always have to be present in individual cases.
The required features should therefore be specified
in each individual case at the time of closing the
contract.
TK_Bangkok.qxd 14.08.2006 17:22 Uhr Seite 5
Bangkok solution 1
Bangkok Traffic Congestion: Is There a Solution?1
Kanchit Pianuan*
Mingsarn Santikarn Kaosa-ard**
Piyanuch Pienchob***
Though few would believe it, Bangkok was the first city in Southeast Asia to draw up plans for a system to reduce traffic congestion. Thailand was, ironically, the third Asian country, after Japan and Hong Kong, to plan such a system.
More than two decades ago, the World Bank hired German experts to evaluate Bangkok's traffic problems. The resultant "Bangkok Transportation Study" in 1971 stressed that Bangkok, even then, badly needed a mass transit system, as well as a city study plan. Neither were ever drawn up and today Bangkok is one of the world's most heavily congested cities, with arguably, its worst traffic.
Bangkok's traffic situation is desperate. And yet the problem has never been properly analyzed. The current chaos is an inescapable result of an endless hodgepodge of half-measures, wrong measures, and no measures. Expanding existing roads, for example, merely causes further congestion due to messy, obstacle-course construction that hurts at least as much as it helps. It also encourages people to put more cars on the roads.
Proposals on how to improve Bangkok's traffic problems continue to abound: a subway system, a sky train, and a waterway system. Viable alternatives to cars and motorbikes must be provided; experts are needed, as are more traffic data, funds and a coordinated intergovernmental master plan.
Bangkok's average traffic speed rates are much lower than those of other cities. As traffic gets worse, the rates drop even more. The plethora of business centers along the Ratchadapisek Road, for example, has slowed traffic there to a maddening crawl, just 8 to 9 kms. an hour in normal traffic situations, and a barely moving 2 to 3 kms. an hour in rush hours. In crowded residential areas, traffic flow is now only 10 to 15 kms. an hour. The city center, without a single restricted zone, of course has the most severe traffic. People do not drive there anymore unless they must.
Public transportation, especially public buses, has lagged far behind the city's population and business growth (Table 1). This lack of alternative transport options causes more and more people to buy cars and motorbikes, thus generating an endless cycle of traffic defeat.
In 1990, Bangkok vehicle registrations increased by 935 per day, or 341,275 vehicles in a single year. These included private cars, public vehicles, motorcycles, trucks of all sizes, and buses. Private cars alone increased by 524 per day. By 1992, the number dropped somewhat to the still staggering figure of 846 vehicles per day-232 being private cars.
EXPRESSWAYS VERSUS MASS TRANSIT SYSTEMS
The Expressway and Rapid Transit Authority (ERTA) was established in 1972 to reduce Bangkok traffic congestion by building expressways and mass transit systems. Until now, ERTA has opted to build expressways rather than mass transit systems. This decision was based on the difficulties and problems which ERTA felt it might encounter in establishing a mass transit system. These considerations include:
* Managing a mass transit system is a complex task and ERTA does not have the necessary expertise.
* Mass transit systems require high technology which must be standardized to ensure efficiency and cross services.
The government requires mass transit systems to be financially self-supporting. It does not want them to rely on government funding. The government has no support policy, except in the provision of land. With expressways, toll charges can be collected to recuperate the capital invested. But mass transit systems usually do not set fares at prices high enough to offset building and operating expenses. If they did, the public would protest. ERTA, however, still hopes to eventually acquire the funds and expertise to build a mass transit system.
The first stage of the city's expressway system consisted of the Bangna-Klongtoey Port Road and Daokanong-Klongtoey Port Road. Completed in 1987, their major purpose was to allow cargo trucks to easily come in and out of Bangkok. There was also a plan to build a route joining the Klongtoey Port and major cities in the north, east and south. No plans were set for these routes to cater to private drivers wanting to use the expressway to get to business roads in the city, because it was expected that people living in the outskirts of Bangkok would use the envisioned soon-to-be-constructed mass transit system.
Stage one of the expressway system quickly proved to be unrealistic. The city lacked zoning regulations that would separate housing, business and industrial areas and give each access to the other. Housing had spread to Bangkok's outskirts and this necessitated people's traveling to the city center for work.
A second stage expressway was then built to enable motorists living in the suburbs to get to town. A major portion of this road has been in operation since 1993, with other portions still under construction. There are also plans to build third and fourth stage expressways. The Arjnarong-Ramindra Road and Donmuang Tollway projects are still under construction.
The three electric mass transit systems-to be built through the Thanayong, Hopewell and Mahanakhon Projects-have all been delayed. The Lavalin Project was proposed in 1972, approved in 1990, but finally cancelled, principally due to lack of funding. The routes for the Lavalin Project have been changed to suit the Mahanakhon Project.
The mass transit system that is furthest along is the Hopewell Elevated Railway Project. Its concrete pillars have just been installed. The project is, however, already two years behind schedule.
The Mahanakhon Project has been heavily criticized because it will be built over main roads. Current plans include building underground routes in some of the city's heavily-trafficked areas, such as under Rama IV Road. These are expensive and thus the total budget has now increased to over 6 billion baht. After lengthy discussions on which system should be used for the Lumphini area, the government has only now decided to use an underground system. Project delays and technical alterations have made it difficult to acquire funds from financial institutions.
All these projects are progressing, albeit very slowly-the contracts have been signed for three to four years. The projects, however, continue to come under critical fire.
SHORT-TERM SOLUTIONS
Despite the overwhelming difficulties of Bangkok's traffic crisis, some actions can and should be taken now. The following measures could conceivably improve Bangkok's traffic capacity by up to 15 percent:
* Install correct and coordinated timing for street lights.
* Improve existing public transportation. This can be done by setting up new systems for bus lanes on such major roads as Petchburi and Sukhumvit, by increasing bus routes on expressways, and by opening main bus routes that cut through and circle the city.
* Re-arrange the one-way road system to facilitate a better traffic flow (Illustration 1). The best one-way system for countries with left-hand driving is a clockwise system. This means reversing the north-south route of Phayathai Road, Rajdamri-Rajprarop, Chidlom Road, Wireless Road at the section between Ploenchit and Petchburi Roads and North Nana Road to follow the clockwise system (Illustration 2). The present two-way Asoke Road and Phayathai Road should follow the one-way system (see Illustration 3). Nine usually congested areas-Victory Monument, Phayathai, Rajthawee, Urupong, Yodsee, Pratumwan, Rajprasong, Asokepetch and Pratunam-and five intersections-Rajthawee, Urupong, Pratumwan, Asokepetch and Pratunam-could be reduced to four intersections (Urupong, Rajprasong, Asokepetch and Pratunam) with a considerable drop in traffic if a proper one-way system is introduced.
CONTROLLING TRAVEL WITH PRICE MECHANISMS
There may also be a need to restrict private vehicle travel through a pricing system. But this option would affect the daily public routines and its consequences will have to be carefully considered. Using price mechanisms can change the travel formats, routes, destinations and travel times of commuters.
Singapore has instituted numerous price controls to regulate traffic. These include higher fuel prices, higher tollway fees, collecting passing fees from private vehicles using restricted zones, and restricting the movement of single passenger cars. These measures should also be considered for Bangkok.
ADAPTING SOLUTIONS TO THE THAI SITUATION
Most data on Bangkok's traffic problem is compiled based on the personal preferences of those involved. This is grossly inadequate for solving a problem of this magnitude and complexity. Systematic and coordinated planning is needed. We still need to refer to other countries' experiences, data and solutions. All these, of course, must be adapted to the realities of the Thai situation. Using foreign expertise may not be beneficial in all cases, for example, in the case of the Thai one-way counter-clockwise traffic system.
SUMMARY
Bangkok's traffic situation is now critical. Support from many groups is urgently needed to tackle the problem.
In the past, the government tried to solve the problem by building more roads, especially expressways. This only resulted in more private cars and worsening traffic.
In the long term, there is an urgent need for a major mass transit system capable of carrying up to 50,000 people an hour. It should be faster and at least as comfortable as traveling by private vehicle.
A mass transit system will be a long time in the making. In the interim, improvements in the existing public transport systems within the available road network must be made.
Kanchit Pianuan*
Mingsarn Santikarn Kaosa-ard**
Piyanuch Pienchob***
Though few would believe it, Bangkok was the first city in Southeast Asia to draw up plans for a system to reduce traffic congestion. Thailand was, ironically, the third Asian country, after Japan and Hong Kong, to plan such a system.
More than two decades ago, the World Bank hired German experts to evaluate Bangkok's traffic problems. The resultant "Bangkok Transportation Study" in 1971 stressed that Bangkok, even then, badly needed a mass transit system, as well as a city study plan. Neither were ever drawn up and today Bangkok is one of the world's most heavily congested cities, with arguably, its worst traffic.
Bangkok's traffic situation is desperate. And yet the problem has never been properly analyzed. The current chaos is an inescapable result of an endless hodgepodge of half-measures, wrong measures, and no measures. Expanding existing roads, for example, merely causes further congestion due to messy, obstacle-course construction that hurts at least as much as it helps. It also encourages people to put more cars on the roads.
Proposals on how to improve Bangkok's traffic problems continue to abound: a subway system, a sky train, and a waterway system. Viable alternatives to cars and motorbikes must be provided; experts are needed, as are more traffic data, funds and a coordinated intergovernmental master plan.
Bangkok's average traffic speed rates are much lower than those of other cities. As traffic gets worse, the rates drop even more. The plethora of business centers along the Ratchadapisek Road, for example, has slowed traffic there to a maddening crawl, just 8 to 9 kms. an hour in normal traffic situations, and a barely moving 2 to 3 kms. an hour in rush hours. In crowded residential areas, traffic flow is now only 10 to 15 kms. an hour. The city center, without a single restricted zone, of course has the most severe traffic. People do not drive there anymore unless they must.
Public transportation, especially public buses, has lagged far behind the city's population and business growth (Table 1). This lack of alternative transport options causes more and more people to buy cars and motorbikes, thus generating an endless cycle of traffic defeat.
In 1990, Bangkok vehicle registrations increased by 935 per day, or 341,275 vehicles in a single year. These included private cars, public vehicles, motorcycles, trucks of all sizes, and buses. Private cars alone increased by 524 per day. By 1992, the number dropped somewhat to the still staggering figure of 846 vehicles per day-232 being private cars.
EXPRESSWAYS VERSUS MASS TRANSIT SYSTEMS
The Expressway and Rapid Transit Authority (ERTA) was established in 1972 to reduce Bangkok traffic congestion by building expressways and mass transit systems. Until now, ERTA has opted to build expressways rather than mass transit systems. This decision was based on the difficulties and problems which ERTA felt it might encounter in establishing a mass transit system. These considerations include:
* Managing a mass transit system is a complex task and ERTA does not have the necessary expertise.
* Mass transit systems require high technology which must be standardized to ensure efficiency and cross services.
The government requires mass transit systems to be financially self-supporting. It does not want them to rely on government funding. The government has no support policy, except in the provision of land. With expressways, toll charges can be collected to recuperate the capital invested. But mass transit systems usually do not set fares at prices high enough to offset building and operating expenses. If they did, the public would protest. ERTA, however, still hopes to eventually acquire the funds and expertise to build a mass transit system.
The first stage of the city's expressway system consisted of the Bangna-Klongtoey Port Road and Daokanong-Klongtoey Port Road. Completed in 1987, their major purpose was to allow cargo trucks to easily come in and out of Bangkok. There was also a plan to build a route joining the Klongtoey Port and major cities in the north, east and south. No plans were set for these routes to cater to private drivers wanting to use the expressway to get to business roads in the city, because it was expected that people living in the outskirts of Bangkok would use the envisioned soon-to-be-constructed mass transit system.
Stage one of the expressway system quickly proved to be unrealistic. The city lacked zoning regulations that would separate housing, business and industrial areas and give each access to the other. Housing had spread to Bangkok's outskirts and this necessitated people's traveling to the city center for work.
A second stage expressway was then built to enable motorists living in the suburbs to get to town. A major portion of this road has been in operation since 1993, with other portions still under construction. There are also plans to build third and fourth stage expressways. The Arjnarong-Ramindra Road and Donmuang Tollway projects are still under construction.
The three electric mass transit systems-to be built through the Thanayong, Hopewell and Mahanakhon Projects-have all been delayed. The Lavalin Project was proposed in 1972, approved in 1990, but finally cancelled, principally due to lack of funding. The routes for the Lavalin Project have been changed to suit the Mahanakhon Project.
The mass transit system that is furthest along is the Hopewell Elevated Railway Project. Its concrete pillars have just been installed. The project is, however, already two years behind schedule.
The Mahanakhon Project has been heavily criticized because it will be built over main roads. Current plans include building underground routes in some of the city's heavily-trafficked areas, such as under Rama IV Road. These are expensive and thus the total budget has now increased to over 6 billion baht. After lengthy discussions on which system should be used for the Lumphini area, the government has only now decided to use an underground system. Project delays and technical alterations have made it difficult to acquire funds from financial institutions.
All these projects are progressing, albeit very slowly-the contracts have been signed for three to four years. The projects, however, continue to come under critical fire.
SHORT-TERM SOLUTIONS
Despite the overwhelming difficulties of Bangkok's traffic crisis, some actions can and should be taken now. The following measures could conceivably improve Bangkok's traffic capacity by up to 15 percent:
* Install correct and coordinated timing for street lights.
* Improve existing public transportation. This can be done by setting up new systems for bus lanes on such major roads as Petchburi and Sukhumvit, by increasing bus routes on expressways, and by opening main bus routes that cut through and circle the city.
* Re-arrange the one-way road system to facilitate a better traffic flow (Illustration 1). The best one-way system for countries with left-hand driving is a clockwise system. This means reversing the north-south route of Phayathai Road, Rajdamri-Rajprarop, Chidlom Road, Wireless Road at the section between Ploenchit and Petchburi Roads and North Nana Road to follow the clockwise system (Illustration 2). The present two-way Asoke Road and Phayathai Road should follow the one-way system (see Illustration 3). Nine usually congested areas-Victory Monument, Phayathai, Rajthawee, Urupong, Yodsee, Pratumwan, Rajprasong, Asokepetch and Pratunam-and five intersections-Rajthawee, Urupong, Pratumwan, Asokepetch and Pratunam-could be reduced to four intersections (Urupong, Rajprasong, Asokepetch and Pratunam) with a considerable drop in traffic if a proper one-way system is introduced.
CONTROLLING TRAVEL WITH PRICE MECHANISMS
There may also be a need to restrict private vehicle travel through a pricing system. But this option would affect the daily public routines and its consequences will have to be carefully considered. Using price mechanisms can change the travel formats, routes, destinations and travel times of commuters.
Singapore has instituted numerous price controls to regulate traffic. These include higher fuel prices, higher tollway fees, collecting passing fees from private vehicles using restricted zones, and restricting the movement of single passenger cars. These measures should also be considered for Bangkok.
ADAPTING SOLUTIONS TO THE THAI SITUATION
Most data on Bangkok's traffic problem is compiled based on the personal preferences of those involved. This is grossly inadequate for solving a problem of this magnitude and complexity. Systematic and coordinated planning is needed. We still need to refer to other countries' experiences, data and solutions. All these, of course, must be adapted to the realities of the Thai situation. Using foreign expertise may not be beneficial in all cases, for example, in the case of the Thai one-way counter-clockwise traffic system.
SUMMARY
Bangkok's traffic situation is now critical. Support from many groups is urgently needed to tackle the problem.
In the past, the government tried to solve the problem by building more roads, especially expressways. This only resulted in more private cars and worsening traffic.
In the long term, there is an urgent need for a major mass transit system capable of carrying up to 50,000 people an hour. It should be faster and at least as comfortable as traveling by private vehicle.
A mass transit system will be a long time in the making. In the interim, improvements in the existing public transport systems within the available road network must be made.
Phuket-thailand traffic solution
PATONG'S ONE WAY TRAFFIC
The one way system came into force on 15th January. Now traffic on the Beach road is North bound only and Ratutit South bound. It has eased congestion but the traffic has speeded up to such an extent that you have to have your wits about you to cross the roads. I think they will have to start using the traffic lights to break up the flow. Another alternative would be to build a number of pedestrian over passes at the main junctions. It is only a three month experiment and then the whole system will be re evaluated.
The one way system came into force on 15th January. Now traffic on the Beach road is North bound only and Ratutit South bound. It has eased congestion but the traffic has speeded up to such an extent that you have to have your wits about you to cross the roads. I think they will have to start using the traffic lights to break up the flow. Another alternative would be to build a number of pedestrian over passes at the main junctions. It is only a three month experiment and then the whole system will be re evaluated.
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
asia car
china
Getting a used car in China?
Miel 发表于 2007-12-08 12:04:00
The notion of getting a car in China is considered a signature towards a successful life. And how do the Chinese view this? The bigger the better. The only factor thats interesting is one can actually get a car, but may not mean that one will use it everyday. Cars usually end up in the garage or car parks and might only be used to fetch their old folks or a short tour outside the city in the sub urbs during weekends.
The two reasons for not using cars daily in Shanghai by normal folks are:
1 Shanghai is a congested city full of vehicles on the road. Road Rage occur frequently. By the time you get to your destination, its as good as taking public transport.
2 Petrol consumption is high and expensive. Filling up full might costs 250-400RMB per fill. The average salary of Chinese who buys cars are 5k-10k.
The only good reason to owning a car in China is when you frequently need it to cross long distance to another area. Similarly, this should be the case for most of us now as petrol prices are raising everyday. We should all go eco-friendly and recycle. However, for a consumer world of ours, throwing away things and going for new toys is a common sight. So changing cars can frequently happen. If you are the type who prefer to save up and get a car of your desire at a lesser costs, a second hand car might be your choice. Especially if you are currently a college student.
This is my dream car. But getting a Hummer running in any Asian road will be a challenge. The monster will most probably end up corking up the two lanes in any Asian cities. But the huge sheer size of it is enough to intimidate any road rage from happening in China!
You can do your own car search and seek out your dream car and buy it if you reside in the U.K, MT is suppose to help you locate cars easier in your local area, a convenient for those living and residing in the U.K.
Apart from finding your local dealers online and seeking the cars you want, you can find news and reviews of cars in the market which you can lay your hands on. MT offers a very comprehensive guide to the cars, both used and new in the market. Apart from that, you can get your car listed online, so allowing yourself exposed to more potential buyers when you intend to sell your junkie anytime soon.
And if you ever need a loan after getting your dream car. Fret not, MT makes it easy for to you to get a loan. As long you are debt-free with a clean stat and record, getting a loan is never easier with MT and its partners.
Green Traffic Week
September 18, 2007 - by Pauline Law
As part of the greening of China before the 2008 Olympics, the Ministry of Construction has introduced a campaign for this week, "Green Traffic Week", China Daily reports. The goal of the initiative is to raise the proportion of commuters who use public transit to fifty percent.
http://blawg.lehmanlaw.com/english/uploadfiles/traffic_30269.jpg
On Saturday, September 22, 108 cities will participate in "No Car Day", which Yahoo! News reports is the first nation's first. The cities will designate special areas where private automobiles will be prohibited. Instead, commuters are encouraged to walk, bike, or take public transit. In Beijing, traffic will be restricted in the area between Tianqiao and Zhushikou, as well as Wangfujing to Bamiancao from 7am to 7pm.
China Daily's article on No Car Day does not, however, mention whether or not public transit capacity will be expanded to accommodate the expected surge of passengers during No Car Day, nor does it give an explanation as to why the Ministry of Construction chose Saturday to hold the event.
A previous No Car Day held only in Beijing on June 5, 2006 reportedly decreased typical traffic jam routes from 50 to 48 and reduced private vehicular traffic by approximately 250,000 cars.
india
.JPG)
Traffic in perfect harmony
In a traffic system that's so helplessly overloaded, it takes a true miracle for things to work so perfectly well.
Every men, women, cars, buses, dogs and cows moves in such harmony that there had to be some mystic power behind all these.
In fact, it was well suspected that some kind of traffic goddess used her omnipotent power to prevent such intricate flow of cosmic movement from falling into an entangling mess (like in many western cities)
There are almost no functioning traffic lights; the few that work are utterly ignored. Yet not a single pedestrian was killed (at least I didn't see any)
When a pedestrian walked into the road, he or she creates an invisible energy field where no car, bus nor rickshaw could break through. You could see islands of pedestrians scattered among the busy Indian streets. It was a well known fact that no other foreigner could create such energy field. Any foreigners experimenting with these kinds of stunts were instantly minced into potato purred. That of course was due to the deities being worshipped by the locals and the outsiders are vastly different. It took many years of devote patronizing to summon such protection field.
Not only were the people, the machines were also part of this coordinated cosmic dance. I often seen two vehicles occupied in a single domain of 3 dimensional spaces. I thought my eyes were fooling me, but there was no such trick. Autorickshaw could create a dimensional portal that automatically teleport them to the front of other cars. Such blatant maneuvering could only performed by the Indians who worshipped the Goddess of Traffic.
Just What India Needs: The $3,000 Car
The Sierra Club points out that in India, there are currently about 7 cars per 1,000 persons (as compared to nearly 500 per 1,000 in the US). With the advent of the $3,000 car, that is surely about to change. The Independent's Andrew Buncombe reports:
If India's roads seem cluttered and inadequate, things are set to get much worse. Over the coming months, a series of car manufacturers are set to unveil new models aimed at India's burgeoning middle class. Remarkably, some of the new cars designed to entice the wallets of India's newly wealthy consumers will be priced as cheaply as $3,000 (£1,500). One model, due to be available as early as next year, has been dubbed the "People's Car".
This explosion of new affordable vehicles is poised to have a number of dramatic effects on the country - most visibly adding further traffic to roads that are often filled with rickshaws, bicycles, people and animals.
Yet while consumer demand for such vehicles is high, there are also considerable concerns about the environmental impact these countless thousands of new cars will have, not just in terms of adding to the congestion of India's cities, but increasing the already mounting emissions of CO2 the country is pumping out.
thailand
Getting a used car in China?
Miel 发表于 2007-12-08 12:04:00
The notion of getting a car in China is considered a signature towards a successful life. And how do the Chinese view this? The bigger the better. The only factor thats interesting is one can actually get a car, but may not mean that one will use it everyday. Cars usually end up in the garage or car parks and might only be used to fetch their old folks or a short tour outside the city in the sub urbs during weekends.
The two reasons for not using cars daily in Shanghai by normal folks are:
1 Shanghai is a congested city full of vehicles on the road. Road Rage occur frequently. By the time you get to your destination, its as good as taking public transport.
2 Petrol consumption is high and expensive. Filling up full might costs 250-400RMB per fill. The average salary of Chinese who buys cars are 5k-10k.
The only good reason to owning a car in China is when you frequently need it to cross long distance to another area. Similarly, this should be the case for most of us now as petrol prices are raising everyday. We should all go eco-friendly and recycle. However, for a consumer world of ours, throwing away things and going for new toys is a common sight. So changing cars can frequently happen. If you are the type who prefer to save up and get a car of your desire at a lesser costs, a second hand car might be your choice. Especially if you are currently a college student.
This is my dream car. But getting a Hummer running in any Asian road will be a challenge. The monster will most probably end up corking up the two lanes in any Asian cities. But the huge sheer size of it is enough to intimidate any road rage from happening in China!
You can do your own car search and seek out your dream car and buy it if you reside in the U.K, MT is suppose to help you locate cars easier in your local area, a convenient for those living and residing in the U.K.
Apart from finding your local dealers online and seeking the cars you want, you can find news and reviews of cars in the market which you can lay your hands on. MT offers a very comprehensive guide to the cars, both used and new in the market. Apart from that, you can get your car listed online, so allowing yourself exposed to more potential buyers when you intend to sell your junkie anytime soon.
And if you ever need a loan after getting your dream car. Fret not, MT makes it easy for to you to get a loan. As long you are debt-free with a clean stat and record, getting a loan is never easier with MT and its partners.
Green Traffic Week
September 18, 2007 - by Pauline Law
As part of the greening of China before the 2008 Olympics, the Ministry of Construction has introduced a campaign for this week, "Green Traffic Week", China Daily reports. The goal of the initiative is to raise the proportion of commuters who use public transit to fifty percent.
http://blawg.lehmanlaw.com/english/uploadfiles/traffic_30269.jpg
On Saturday, September 22, 108 cities will participate in "No Car Day", which Yahoo! News reports is the first nation's first. The cities will designate special areas where private automobiles will be prohibited. Instead, commuters are encouraged to walk, bike, or take public transit. In Beijing, traffic will be restricted in the area between Tianqiao and Zhushikou, as well as Wangfujing to Bamiancao from 7am to 7pm.
China Daily's article on No Car Day does not, however, mention whether or not public transit capacity will be expanded to accommodate the expected surge of passengers during No Car Day, nor does it give an explanation as to why the Ministry of Construction chose Saturday to hold the event.
A previous No Car Day held only in Beijing on June 5, 2006 reportedly decreased typical traffic jam routes from 50 to 48 and reduced private vehicular traffic by approximately 250,000 cars.
india
.JPG)
Traffic in perfect harmony
In a traffic system that's so helplessly overloaded, it takes a true miracle for things to work so perfectly well.
Every men, women, cars, buses, dogs and cows moves in such harmony that there had to be some mystic power behind all these.
In fact, it was well suspected that some kind of traffic goddess used her omnipotent power to prevent such intricate flow of cosmic movement from falling into an entangling mess (like in many western cities)
There are almost no functioning traffic lights; the few that work are utterly ignored. Yet not a single pedestrian was killed (at least I didn't see any)
When a pedestrian walked into the road, he or she creates an invisible energy field where no car, bus nor rickshaw could break through. You could see islands of pedestrians scattered among the busy Indian streets. It was a well known fact that no other foreigner could create such energy field. Any foreigners experimenting with these kinds of stunts were instantly minced into potato purred. That of course was due to the deities being worshipped by the locals and the outsiders are vastly different. It took many years of devote patronizing to summon such protection field.
Not only were the people, the machines were also part of this coordinated cosmic dance. I often seen two vehicles occupied in a single domain of 3 dimensional spaces. I thought my eyes were fooling me, but there was no such trick. Autorickshaw could create a dimensional portal that automatically teleport them to the front of other cars. Such blatant maneuvering could only performed by the Indians who worshipped the Goddess of Traffic.
Just What India Needs: The $3,000 Car
The Sierra Club points out that in India, there are currently about 7 cars per 1,000 persons (as compared to nearly 500 per 1,000 in the US). With the advent of the $3,000 car, that is surely about to change. The Independent's Andrew Buncombe reports:
If India's roads seem cluttered and inadequate, things are set to get much worse. Over the coming months, a series of car manufacturers are set to unveil new models aimed at India's burgeoning middle class. Remarkably, some of the new cars designed to entice the wallets of India's newly wealthy consumers will be priced as cheaply as $3,000 (£1,500). One model, due to be available as early as next year, has been dubbed the "People's Car".
This explosion of new affordable vehicles is poised to have a number of dramatic effects on the country - most visibly adding further traffic to roads that are often filled with rickshaws, bicycles, people and animals.
Yet while consumer demand for such vehicles is high, there are also considerable concerns about the environmental impact these countless thousands of new cars will have, not just in terms of adding to the congestion of India's cities, but increasing the already mounting emissions of CO2 the country is pumping out.
thailand
Guangzhou to Reduce Public Transportation Fare
Passengers enter a MTR train at the Gongyuan Qian stop of Metro Line 1 in Guangzhoui, China. (Baike photo)
Guangzhou to Reduce Public Transportation Fare
Updated Nov 15 2007 05:07:15 Beijing Time
Source: www.lifeofguangzhou.com
Yesterday afternoon (Nov. 14th), Guangzhou Mayor, Zhang Guangning, gave a report on the development of Guangzhou this year to representatives of Guangzhou People's Congress. He predicted that the economic growth of the city will reach 14.2%.
He also released in his report that the government planed to increase the annual highway fee for autos, and reduce the public bus and subway fares at the same time. After thorough research and discussion, a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) trial line will soon be under constructed.
GDP from Jan. to Oct. up by 14.4% over the same period of last year
According to the report, the GDP of Guangzhou from Jan. to Oct. reached 562.947 billion yuan (76.518 billion USD), up by 14.4% over the same period of last year. It is expected the annual GDP will exceed 700 billion yuan (95.146 billion USD) with the growth of 14.2%. The budgetary revenue will amount to 200 billion yuan, up by 20%.
The auto and parts export becomes another promising industry. At present, 160 enterprises of the top 500 has invested and set up branches in Guangzhou.
From Jan. to Oct., the retail sales amounted to 211.712 billion yuan (28.777 billion USD), up by 17.8% with the highest growth speed in ten years.
State Council to hold meeting on food safety in Guangzhou
In regard of food safety, Zhang Guangning stated Guangzhou has set up a food safety management system. At the end of this month, State Council will hold the third food safety meeting in Guangzhou. The responsible persons from 31 provinces, municipalities and central government will attend the meeting.
Consultation meeting on bus and subway fares decrease will be held
In order to relieve the financial pressure of the government, Guangzhou plans to increase the annual highway fee for autos. At the same time, East-South-West Ring (Dongnanxi Ring) will be included in the annual fee system.
"The public transportation fare in Guangzhou has always been low in comparison nationwide," Mayor Zhang said. Guangzhou will hold a consultation meeting to hear citizens' opinions on the decrease of bus and subway fares soon.
Besides, the BRT plan has been confirmed and the trial line construction will be launched in the near future.
To further meet the demand of parking lots downtown, Guangzhou plans to build 50,000 parking lots before 2010.
(By Helena Zhang and Kimberly Barteau)
[More Guangzhou News]
Editor: Ronald Li
some links
some links:
http://www.spraguephoto.com/search.lasso?keywords=bus
http://medsblognow.blogspot.com/2007/08/jakarta-mass-transportation.html
http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/10/02/transportation-tuesday-top-10-cities-for-public-transit/
Cars of Asia
Cars of Asia
The driving we encountered on our trip, especially in China, was extraordinary. Overtaking is done with the attitude that if one honks enough the oncoming traffic will mysteriously disappear, roundabouts are attempted in either direction with equal frequency, wide footpaths were treated as defacto roads, traffic laws are rarely enforced, road design poor and driver education almost non existent. It was only in 2004 that serious penalties were introduced for drunk driving.
Predictably, China has one of the worst road safety records in the world, in excess of 100,000 deaths per year, and rising rapidly as 100 million new cars are predicted to join its roads over the next 15 years. During the trip we saw at least 20 serious accidents, many head-on collisions, two rollovers, one probable motorcycle fatality, one pedestrian fatality, trucks crashing into cliffs, motorcycles and cars. One truck smashed into a pharmacy store right in front of us.
The most pedestrian unfriendly city's we went to were Hanoi (Vietnam), Kashgar and Urumuchi (China) and Bangkok. In all four footpaths are either non-existent or have been over-run with cars and motorcycles. Cars in China would think nothing of honking at pedestrians to get off "their" footpath, or running a red light and then expecting pedestrians to give way, rendering pedestrian crossings almost completely meaningless.
Also noted that Asia is just as easily conned into buying piece-of-rubish SUV's as the rest of the world, with the Mitsubishi wanker/pajero being the pollution machine of choice. The Mitsubishi tyre cover below reads "environmentally friendly model".
Whilst we were hoping to set a good example by cycling across China, we were sorry to see the likes of Jackie Chan, Gong Li and China Mobile doing the exact opposite:
http://www.nosuv.org/asiacars.html
The driving we encountered on our trip, especially in China, was extraordinary. Overtaking is done with the attitude that if one honks enough the oncoming traffic will mysteriously disappear, roundabouts are attempted in either direction with equal frequency, wide footpaths were treated as defacto roads, traffic laws are rarely enforced, road design poor and driver education almost non existent. It was only in 2004 that serious penalties were introduced for drunk driving.
Predictably, China has one of the worst road safety records in the world, in excess of 100,000 deaths per year, and rising rapidly as 100 million new cars are predicted to join its roads over the next 15 years. During the trip we saw at least 20 serious accidents, many head-on collisions, two rollovers, one probable motorcycle fatality, one pedestrian fatality, trucks crashing into cliffs, motorcycles and cars. One truck smashed into a pharmacy store right in front of us.
The most pedestrian unfriendly city's we went to were Hanoi (Vietnam), Kashgar and Urumuchi (China) and Bangkok. In all four footpaths are either non-existent or have been over-run with cars and motorcycles. Cars in China would think nothing of honking at pedestrians to get off "their" footpath, or running a red light and then expecting pedestrians to give way, rendering pedestrian crossings almost completely meaningless.
Also noted that Asia is just as easily conned into buying piece-of-rubish SUV's as the rest of the world, with the Mitsubishi wanker/pajero being the pollution machine of choice. The Mitsubishi tyre cover below reads "environmentally friendly model".
Whilst we were hoping to set a good example by cycling across China, we were sorry to see the likes of Jackie Chan, Gong Li and China Mobile doing the exact opposite:
http://www.nosuv.org/asiacars.html
Monday, 10 March 2008
http://www.climateactionprogramme.org/features/article/reducing_car_carbon_emissions_how_low_can_we_go/
InterCall
Johnson Controls Inc
KPMG
The National Mining Association (NMA)
Siemens AG
Vestas
Yara International
Reducing car carbon emissions: how low can we go?
Dr Paul Nieuwenhuis, project manager, sustainable automobility, ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability & Society, Cardiff University
The EU is the first major jurisdiction to propose regulation on car CO2 directly, rather than fuel consumption. Meeting the proposed target of 130 g/km of CO2 emissions from new cars is technically feasible with certain policy measures to bring this about. Many cars on sale in the EU already meet the proposed limit. It is also known from suppliers and manufacturers that more CO2 reducing technologies are due to enter the market before the proposed EU deadline of 2012. But current technology can also deliver major improvements in car CO2 emissions in countries such as China.
BACKGROUND
Chevrolet Volt Concept car 2007 - taking hybrid
technology to the next logical step where the drive
is purely electric with the internal combustion engine
acting only as a generator.
Cars are a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions and energy use. In the developed nations, emissions from other sources are reducing but those from transport are still rising. In order to tackle this problem a number of countries have attempted to reduce CO2 emissions from cars, either through fuel taxes, restrictions on fuel consumption, or by reducing CO2 emissions directly, such as in the EU.
Many regulators and politicians have unrealistically high expectations of alternative technologies such as fuel cells. Internal combustion (IC) will be the dominant technology for many years to come and even hybrids still use this technology. Any regulatory approach to carbon reduction should therefore consider IC technologies. Car manufacturers must also treat this issue with more urgency, even though the changes needed have the potential to change dramatically the nature of cars and of the industry that makes them.
THE EU CASE
In February 2007, EU Environment Commissioner Dimas proposed a mandatory reduction of average CO2 emissions from new cars to 130 g/km by 2012. This reflected the industry’s inability to meet the voluntary target set in the late 1990s of 140 g/km by 2008. Some manufacturers were on track, and the voluntary agreement had some impact. The Figure shows average new car emissions in different EU member states. Despite reductions in the average figure, we are still some way off the voluntary limit of 140 g/km agreed between the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) and the European Commission.
Much of this reduction in CO2 output was achieved by greater reliance on diesel engines. The better efficiency of the diesel engine more than offsets the slightly higher carbon content of diesel fuel. Although there are health risks associated with diesel emissions, there is little doubt that any further reduction in CO2 emissions will be achieved partly through a further increase in diesel, see Figure below.
Cars have also become larger and heavier, so attempts to reduce CO2 have in part been negated by weight gain. A typical example is VW’s Golf, which has long been Europe’s best-selling car. The Golf has added weight with each new generation as features were added to enhance its appeal in the market.
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?
ACEA suggests that reducing CO2 emissions to 130 g/km for new cars is a major challenge, yet the industry currently offers many vehicles that meet this standard. It is therefore far from impossible, see Table 1.
Table 1: < 140g/km cars currently available in the EU.
Make Models <120g/km Models 120-130g/km Models 130-140g/km
BMW MINI 1.4d 118d, 120d 118i, MINI 1.4, 1.6
Chevrolet Matiz 0.8 Matiz 1.0, 0.8auto
Citroën
C1, C2 diesel,
C3 diesel
C4 1.6d C2 1.4 stopstart
Daihatsu Charade, Sirion 1.0 Sirion 1.3
Fiat Panda 1.3 Multijet;
Grande Punto 1.3 Grande Punto
Multijet 90 Panda 1.1,1.2, Punto 1.2;
Stilo 1.9 Multijet 90 3d
Multijet 75
Ford Fiesta 1.4 tdci, Focus 1.6 tdci; Focus 1.8tdci
1.6tdci C-Max1.6tdci
Honda Civic 1.3 hybrid Jazz 1.2dsi-s Jazz 1.4dsi; Civic 1.4, 2.2cdti
Hyundai Amica 1.1gsi;
Getz 1.1, 1.5d Amica 1.1cdx
Kia Picanto 1.0, 1.1;
Rio 1.5d; Cerato 1.5d
Mazda 2 1.4d; 3 1.6d
Mercedes-Benz A160 cdi A180 cdi
MINI Cooper 1.6
Mitsubishi Colt 1.1, 1.5d
Nissan Micra 1.5d Note 1.5d
Perodua Kelisa1.0 Myvi 1.3sxi; Kenari 1.0
Peugeot 107 1.0 urban; 1007 1.4hdi; 307 1.6 hdi 5d
206 1.4hdi 207 1.4hdi, 1.6hdi;
206 1.6hdi;
206cc 1.6hdi;
307 1.6hdi 3d
Proton Savvy 1.2 street
Renault Clio Campus 1.5dci; Modus 1.5dci; Scenic 1.5dci 86 & 106;
Clio 1.5 dci 86 Clio 1.5dci;
Megane 1.5dci 86
& 106 Grand Scenic 1.5dci
106 Privilege
SEAT Ibiza 1.4tdi Ibiza 1.9tdi 100; Leon 1.9tdi
Škoda Fabia 1.4tdi pd Fabia 1.9tdi; Roomster 1.4tdi pd
Smart ForTwo Pure; all For
Two diesels ForTwo Pulse &
Brabus; ForFour 1.0,
1.5cdi; Roadster,
Roadster Brabus
Suzuki Swift 1.3d
Toyota Aygo; Prius Yaris 1.0, 1.4d Auris 1.4d
Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 cdti;
Tigra 1.3cdti Agila 1.0; Corsa 1.0,
1.2 (some); Meriva 1.3 cdti;
Astra 1.7cdti
Volkswagen Polo 1.4tdi Polo 1.9tdi
Volvo C30 1.6d; S40 1.6d C30
Source: Nieuwenhuis 2007 Car CO2 reduction feasibility assessment, www.brass.cf.ac.uk; table does not show all models that comply
The large car market
Cars that currently emit up to about 170g/km can be brought down to 130g/km with reprogrammed engine management systems and low cost powertrain improvements, eg stop-start. Larger cars need more expensive technologies to bring them down to a CO2 emission level which doesn’t distort the industry average and this is where the challenge lies. The result may be a split in the market, whereby small to medium cars will continue to be available at price levels similar to today, while larger cars become more expensive. Although this may unduly affect certain manufacturers, they tend to operate higher margins and could pass on much of this extra cost. These manufacturers could introduce smaller cars which will still need to be premium priced in order for them to survive. BMW’s Mini and Mercedes A and B Class are examples of how this might be done. The skill is in carrying traditional brand values into more compact cars, ie in marketing, not engineering.
There are other advantages. Large luxury cars lose value quickly because used car buyers are less able to afford high running costs. If luxury cars were smaller and lighter, their appeal to the used market would rise, boosting residual values. This impacts on lifecycle costs of luxury cars, making them generally competitive in economic lifecycle terms. This benefits consumers, but also manufacturers, as higher residual values enhance brand appeal.
NEWLY MOTORISED COUNTRIES
Countries such as China and India, with their large populations, are causing concern to environmentalists, not least in view of their growth in motorisation. The Chinese fleet will continue its rapid growth for the next 25 years, potentially reaching 50 million new passenger vehicle registrations per year. However, research carried out at ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS) suggests it is possible, with current technologies, to reduce the CO2 emissions resulting from this growth at relatively little cost. Scenarios covered diesel, minicars and hybrids.
Although all three technology options provide some CO2 reduction benefit, the widespread adoption of hybrid electric technology would reap the greatest benefits. If this could be installed in minicars and powered by a diesel engine as the internal combustion element, even greater benefits would accrue. Estimates suggest that in a mature market, such as the EU, achieving the CO2 emissions target of 120 g/km desired by the Commission would translate into a cost to consumers of around €1,200-€2,000 on the price of an average car. With the expected longer term rise in oil prices, much of this is offset by fuel savings. In a lower cost economy, such as China, costs would be much reduced as Chinese consumers would either benefit from work carried out to meet EU targets, or carried out at lower cost in China itself.
Table 2: Future powertrain developments.
Technology Likely
introduction Likely CO2 savings
(source), %
Variable valve actuation Now 10-15
Electronic valve actuation
(no camshaft) 2010 15-20 (Valeo)
Direct injection petrol
engines (GDI) Now
15 (Bosch)
Cylinder switch off
(available in US) 2010 15-20 (Chrysler)
Stop-start 2006 10-15 in urban driving (Citroen);
5 overall (Lotus); 20-25 in urban driving (Fiat)
Starter-generator Now
Variable compression ? ?
Turbocharging and supercharging
combined with downsising
Now Variable
Improved transmissions
(CVT, DSG, AMT) Now Variable
Low rolling resistance tyres Now 2-5 (Michelin)
Petrol electric hybrid
(Connaught) Now 18 (Honda); 22 (Lotus); 25
Diesel electric hybrid 2010-2012 35 (PSA)
Source: CAIR/BRASS
NEW TECHNOLOGIES NEEDED
There are a number of technologies coming onto the market which will keep conventional IC engines more environmentally competitive, see Table 2. Petrol engines will become smaller, turbocharged and fitted with technologies for greater efficiency. This will make them competitive in fuel consumption, and, in CO2 emissions terms, with diesel but with the advantage of cheaper emissions control than future generations of diesel engine. Improvements in the diesel combustion process are also being developed to avoid expensive and complex after treatment. As a result of widespread outsourcing of product development, much of this expertise now resides with suppliers, rather than car manufacturers, a fact not yet fully appreciated by regulators who still often interface with car manufacturers as the sole representatives of their industry.
Concept cars
At the 2007 Frankfurt motor show, Mercedes showed a concept car which gives an indication of what could be achieved with technologies currently under development. The F700 is a large luxury saloon, but powered by a small 1.8 litre engine. The engine uses a combination of diesel and Otto cycles to produce 258bhp, yet with CO2 emissions of only 127 g/km. This is achieved by combining the IC engine with a hybrid powertrain, while the engine itself has two stage turbocharging and optimised IC technology.
The Chevrolet Volt concept car, shown at the 2007 Detroit show, takes hybrid technology the next logical step: a series-hybrid configuration, whereby the IC engine acts only as a generator. Drive is purely electric, with the option of additional recharging from an external power source, at home. A production version is expected around 2010-2012.
ROLE OF POLICYMAKERS AND CUSTOMERS
Technology is not the whole solution; enabling the take up of those technologies and changing cultures of automobility are equally important. It is possible to restrict car ownership and use as in Singapore, or access to urban areas as in Italy, Norway and London. European cities are trying to get citizens to return to cycling, yet several Chinese cities are trying to restrict cycling. With their new found automobility it may be challenging to engage public support for reversing these policies, though the negative consequences of this rise in car ownership may help build support for such measures, particularly in cities.
Dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions are possible with current and new technologies. Countries leading the technologies – Japan, US and EU – should also lead in regulation to encourage the market. This provides a home market for low carbon technologies, and a competitive advantage to firms pioneering such technologies.
CONCLUSION
Traditionally, the car industry blames the customer for the products it makes. Increasingly it is recognised that the customer is not a car designer or automotive engineer. Ordinary citizens cannot track down lifecycle assessments for every product they buy or use. The customer can only choose from what is offered in the market place. Stuart Hart’s influential article in the Harvard Business Review in February 1997 put the primary responsibility for greening products firmly on manufacturers:
“Like it or not, the responsibility for ensuring a sustainable world falls largely on the shoulders of the world’s enterprises... corporations can and should lead
the way, helping to shape public policy and driving change in consumers’ behaviour”. Hart encourages industry to help shape public policy not in its own short term interests but in the longer term social interests that are implied in the sustainability agenda.
The car of tomorrow will need to address resource depletion, waste generation, congestion and quality of life in the broadest sense. It is likely these cars may well be more likeable and more fun to drive than the often overspecified, overweight cars of today.
Author
Dr Paul Nieuwenhuis joined the Centre for Automotive Industry Research (CAIR) at Cardiff University in 1991 and became one of its two directors in 2006. He is a founder member of the ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS). He has written a number of books on environmental issues and the automotive industry including The Green Car Guide (1992), The Death of Motoring? (1997), and most recently, The Business of Sustainable Mobility (ed. 2006). He also contributed to the Beaulieu Encyclopaedia of the Automobile which won a Cugnot Award from the Society of Automotive Historians.
Organisation
CAIR is one of the leading academic centres in Europe that analyses economic and strategic issues affecting the world automotive sector. BRASS is the leading academic centre in the UK dedicated to analyse issues of CSR and sustainability as they relate to business. Both centres engage in academic research, policy advice and contract research for private and public sector clients.
Enquiries
Dr Paul Nieuwenhuis
Centre for Automotive Industry Research
Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University Aberconway Building, Colum Drive
Cardiff CF10 3EU
Wales, UK
Tel: +44 (0)29 2087 5702
E-mail: nieuwenhuis@cardiff.ac.uk
Johnson Controls Inc
KPMG
The National Mining Association (NMA)
Siemens AG
Vestas
Yara International
Reducing car carbon emissions: how low can we go?
Dr Paul Nieuwenhuis, project manager, sustainable automobility, ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability & Society, Cardiff University
The EU is the first major jurisdiction to propose regulation on car CO2 directly, rather than fuel consumption. Meeting the proposed target of 130 g/km of CO2 emissions from new cars is technically feasible with certain policy measures to bring this about. Many cars on sale in the EU already meet the proposed limit. It is also known from suppliers and manufacturers that more CO2 reducing technologies are due to enter the market before the proposed EU deadline of 2012. But current technology can also deliver major improvements in car CO2 emissions in countries such as China.
BACKGROUND
Chevrolet Volt Concept car 2007 - taking hybrid
technology to the next logical step where the drive
is purely electric with the internal combustion engine
acting only as a generator.
Cars are a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions and energy use. In the developed nations, emissions from other sources are reducing but those from transport are still rising. In order to tackle this problem a number of countries have attempted to reduce CO2 emissions from cars, either through fuel taxes, restrictions on fuel consumption, or by reducing CO2 emissions directly, such as in the EU.
Many regulators and politicians have unrealistically high expectations of alternative technologies such as fuel cells. Internal combustion (IC) will be the dominant technology for many years to come and even hybrids still use this technology. Any regulatory approach to carbon reduction should therefore consider IC technologies. Car manufacturers must also treat this issue with more urgency, even though the changes needed have the potential to change dramatically the nature of cars and of the industry that makes them.
THE EU CASE
In February 2007, EU Environment Commissioner Dimas proposed a mandatory reduction of average CO2 emissions from new cars to 130 g/km by 2012. This reflected the industry’s inability to meet the voluntary target set in the late 1990s of 140 g/km by 2008. Some manufacturers were on track, and the voluntary agreement had some impact. The Figure shows average new car emissions in different EU member states. Despite reductions in the average figure, we are still some way off the voluntary limit of 140 g/km agreed between the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) and the European Commission.
Much of this reduction in CO2 output was achieved by greater reliance on diesel engines. The better efficiency of the diesel engine more than offsets the slightly higher carbon content of diesel fuel. Although there are health risks associated with diesel emissions, there is little doubt that any further reduction in CO2 emissions will be achieved partly through a further increase in diesel, see Figure below.
Cars have also become larger and heavier, so attempts to reduce CO2 have in part been negated by weight gain. A typical example is VW’s Golf, which has long been Europe’s best-selling car. The Golf has added weight with each new generation as features were added to enhance its appeal in the market.
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?
ACEA suggests that reducing CO2 emissions to 130 g/km for new cars is a major challenge, yet the industry currently offers many vehicles that meet this standard. It is therefore far from impossible, see Table 1.
Table 1: < 140g/km cars currently available in the EU.
Make Models <120g/km Models 120-130g/km Models 130-140g/km
BMW MINI 1.4d 118d, 120d 118i, MINI 1.4, 1.6
Chevrolet Matiz 0.8 Matiz 1.0, 0.8auto
Citroën
C1, C2 diesel,
C3 diesel
C4 1.6d C2 1.4 stopstart
Daihatsu Charade, Sirion 1.0 Sirion 1.3
Fiat Panda 1.3 Multijet;
Grande Punto 1.3 Grande Punto
Multijet 90 Panda 1.1,1.2, Punto 1.2;
Stilo 1.9 Multijet 90 3d
Multijet 75
Ford Fiesta 1.4 tdci, Focus 1.6 tdci; Focus 1.8tdci
1.6tdci C-Max1.6tdci
Honda Civic 1.3 hybrid Jazz 1.2dsi-s Jazz 1.4dsi; Civic 1.4, 2.2cdti
Hyundai Amica 1.1gsi;
Getz 1.1, 1.5d Amica 1.1cdx
Kia Picanto 1.0, 1.1;
Rio 1.5d; Cerato 1.5d
Mazda 2 1.4d; 3 1.6d
Mercedes-Benz A160 cdi A180 cdi
MINI Cooper 1.6
Mitsubishi Colt 1.1, 1.5d
Nissan Micra 1.5d Note 1.5d
Perodua Kelisa1.0 Myvi 1.3sxi; Kenari 1.0
Peugeot 107 1.0 urban; 1007 1.4hdi; 307 1.6 hdi 5d
206 1.4hdi 207 1.4hdi, 1.6hdi;
206 1.6hdi;
206cc 1.6hdi;
307 1.6hdi 3d
Proton Savvy 1.2 street
Renault Clio Campus 1.5dci; Modus 1.5dci; Scenic 1.5dci 86 & 106;
Clio 1.5 dci 86 Clio 1.5dci;
Megane 1.5dci 86
& 106 Grand Scenic 1.5dci
106 Privilege
SEAT Ibiza 1.4tdi Ibiza 1.9tdi 100; Leon 1.9tdi
Škoda Fabia 1.4tdi pd Fabia 1.9tdi; Roomster 1.4tdi pd
Smart ForTwo Pure; all For
Two diesels ForTwo Pulse &
Brabus; ForFour 1.0,
1.5cdi; Roadster,
Roadster Brabus
Suzuki Swift 1.3d
Toyota Aygo; Prius Yaris 1.0, 1.4d Auris 1.4d
Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 cdti;
Tigra 1.3cdti Agila 1.0; Corsa 1.0,
1.2 (some); Meriva 1.3 cdti;
Astra 1.7cdti
Volkswagen Polo 1.4tdi Polo 1.9tdi
Volvo C30 1.6d; S40 1.6d C30
Source: Nieuwenhuis 2007 Car CO2 reduction feasibility assessment, www.brass.cf.ac.uk; table does not show all models that comply
The large car market
Cars that currently emit up to about 170g/km can be brought down to 130g/km with reprogrammed engine management systems and low cost powertrain improvements, eg stop-start. Larger cars need more expensive technologies to bring them down to a CO2 emission level which doesn’t distort the industry average and this is where the challenge lies. The result may be a split in the market, whereby small to medium cars will continue to be available at price levels similar to today, while larger cars become more expensive. Although this may unduly affect certain manufacturers, they tend to operate higher margins and could pass on much of this extra cost. These manufacturers could introduce smaller cars which will still need to be premium priced in order for them to survive. BMW’s Mini and Mercedes A and B Class are examples of how this might be done. The skill is in carrying traditional brand values into more compact cars, ie in marketing, not engineering.
There are other advantages. Large luxury cars lose value quickly because used car buyers are less able to afford high running costs. If luxury cars were smaller and lighter, their appeal to the used market would rise, boosting residual values. This impacts on lifecycle costs of luxury cars, making them generally competitive in economic lifecycle terms. This benefits consumers, but also manufacturers, as higher residual values enhance brand appeal.
NEWLY MOTORISED COUNTRIES
Countries such as China and India, with their large populations, are causing concern to environmentalists, not least in view of their growth in motorisation. The Chinese fleet will continue its rapid growth for the next 25 years, potentially reaching 50 million new passenger vehicle registrations per year. However, research carried out at ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS) suggests it is possible, with current technologies, to reduce the CO2 emissions resulting from this growth at relatively little cost. Scenarios covered diesel, minicars and hybrids.
Although all three technology options provide some CO2 reduction benefit, the widespread adoption of hybrid electric technology would reap the greatest benefits. If this could be installed in minicars and powered by a diesel engine as the internal combustion element, even greater benefits would accrue. Estimates suggest that in a mature market, such as the EU, achieving the CO2 emissions target of 120 g/km desired by the Commission would translate into a cost to consumers of around €1,200-€2,000 on the price of an average car. With the expected longer term rise in oil prices, much of this is offset by fuel savings. In a lower cost economy, such as China, costs would be much reduced as Chinese consumers would either benefit from work carried out to meet EU targets, or carried out at lower cost in China itself.
Table 2: Future powertrain developments.
Technology Likely
introduction Likely CO2 savings
(source), %
Variable valve actuation Now 10-15
Electronic valve actuation
(no camshaft) 2010 15-20 (Valeo)
Direct injection petrol
engines (GDI) Now
15 (Bosch)
Cylinder switch off
(available in US) 2010 15-20 (Chrysler)
Stop-start 2006 10-15 in urban driving (Citroen);
5 overall (Lotus); 20-25 in urban driving (Fiat)
Starter-generator Now
Variable compression ? ?
Turbocharging and supercharging
combined with downsising
Now Variable
Improved transmissions
(CVT, DSG, AMT) Now Variable
Low rolling resistance tyres Now 2-5 (Michelin)
Petrol electric hybrid
(Connaught) Now 18 (Honda); 22 (Lotus); 25
Diesel electric hybrid 2010-2012 35 (PSA)
Source: CAIR/BRASS
NEW TECHNOLOGIES NEEDED
There are a number of technologies coming onto the market which will keep conventional IC engines more environmentally competitive, see Table 2. Petrol engines will become smaller, turbocharged and fitted with technologies for greater efficiency. This will make them competitive in fuel consumption, and, in CO2 emissions terms, with diesel but with the advantage of cheaper emissions control than future generations of diesel engine. Improvements in the diesel combustion process are also being developed to avoid expensive and complex after treatment. As a result of widespread outsourcing of product development, much of this expertise now resides with suppliers, rather than car manufacturers, a fact not yet fully appreciated by regulators who still often interface with car manufacturers as the sole representatives of their industry.
Concept cars
At the 2007 Frankfurt motor show, Mercedes showed a concept car which gives an indication of what could be achieved with technologies currently under development. The F700 is a large luxury saloon, but powered by a small 1.8 litre engine. The engine uses a combination of diesel and Otto cycles to produce 258bhp, yet with CO2 emissions of only 127 g/km. This is achieved by combining the IC engine with a hybrid powertrain, while the engine itself has two stage turbocharging and optimised IC technology.
The Chevrolet Volt concept car, shown at the 2007 Detroit show, takes hybrid technology the next logical step: a series-hybrid configuration, whereby the IC engine acts only as a generator. Drive is purely electric, with the option of additional recharging from an external power source, at home. A production version is expected around 2010-2012.
ROLE OF POLICYMAKERS AND CUSTOMERS
Technology is not the whole solution; enabling the take up of those technologies and changing cultures of automobility are equally important. It is possible to restrict car ownership and use as in Singapore, or access to urban areas as in Italy, Norway and London. European cities are trying to get citizens to return to cycling, yet several Chinese cities are trying to restrict cycling. With their new found automobility it may be challenging to engage public support for reversing these policies, though the negative consequences of this rise in car ownership may help build support for such measures, particularly in cities.
Dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions are possible with current and new technologies. Countries leading the technologies – Japan, US and EU – should also lead in regulation to encourage the market. This provides a home market for low carbon technologies, and a competitive advantage to firms pioneering such technologies.
CONCLUSION
Traditionally, the car industry blames the customer for the products it makes. Increasingly it is recognised that the customer is not a car designer or automotive engineer. Ordinary citizens cannot track down lifecycle assessments for every product they buy or use. The customer can only choose from what is offered in the market place. Stuart Hart’s influential article in the Harvard Business Review in February 1997 put the primary responsibility for greening products firmly on manufacturers:
“Like it or not, the responsibility for ensuring a sustainable world falls largely on the shoulders of the world’s enterprises... corporations can and should lead
the way, helping to shape public policy and driving change in consumers’ behaviour”. Hart encourages industry to help shape public policy not in its own short term interests but in the longer term social interests that are implied in the sustainability agenda.
The car of tomorrow will need to address resource depletion, waste generation, congestion and quality of life in the broadest sense. It is likely these cars may well be more likeable and more fun to drive than the often overspecified, overweight cars of today.
Author
Dr Paul Nieuwenhuis joined the Centre for Automotive Industry Research (CAIR) at Cardiff University in 1991 and became one of its two directors in 2006. He is a founder member of the ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS). He has written a number of books on environmental issues and the automotive industry including The Green Car Guide (1992), The Death of Motoring? (1997), and most recently, The Business of Sustainable Mobility (ed. 2006). He also contributed to the Beaulieu Encyclopaedia of the Automobile which won a Cugnot Award from the Society of Automotive Historians.
Organisation
CAIR is one of the leading academic centres in Europe that analyses economic and strategic issues affecting the world automotive sector. BRASS is the leading academic centre in the UK dedicated to analyse issues of CSR and sustainability as they relate to business. Both centres engage in academic research, policy advice and contract research for private and public sector clients.
Enquiries
Dr Paul Nieuwenhuis
Centre for Automotive Industry Research
Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University Aberconway Building, Colum Drive
Cardiff CF10 3EU
Wales, UK
Tel: +44 (0)29 2087 5702
E-mail: nieuwenhuis@cardiff.ac.uk
Asia's Energy Needs and Climate Change: What Can Be Done?"
"Asia's Energy Needs and Climate Change: What Can Be Done?"
Speech By
Haruhiko Kuroda
President
Asian Development Bank
At the Chatham House
12 March 2007
London, United Kingdom
I. Introduction
Mr. Chairman, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank Chatham House for giving me the opportunity to present my views on Asian's energy needs and climate change and contribute to our collective thinking about the way forward.
II. Asia's Development Path
Asia today is clearly a remarkable success story of rapid economic growth and poverty reduction. In less than a generation, the Asian people have transformed their economies to become among the most vibrant and dynamic in the world. Following Japan and "Asian Tiger" economies, now China and India are emerging as major players in the global economy. Over the past 25 years or so, China has averaged real GDP growth of close to 10% a year. India's trend growth has accelerated steadily from about 4% in the 1960s to the early 1980's, to around 7% to 8% in recent years. Developments in these countries are important not only for Asia but also for the world.
Along with growth, Asia's energy consumption, which is dominated by greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting fossil fuel, has been rising. Over the last 30 years, Asia's energy consumption has grown by 230%. Asia now accounts for nearly one-quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Looking ahead, the International Energy Agency estimates that the region will require more than $6 trillion from now to 2030 for new energy infrastructure. The bulk of this requirement will come from China and India, the two major emerging economies of the world. More than half of the energy infrastructure investments will be directed toward electricity, primarily coal-fired power plants. On the basis of such increased energy demand and consumption, it is reported that the global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions will surpass 40 billion ton in 2030, with Asia contributing about 40% of total emissions. Thus, Asia's future development path is attracting high level of global attention.
Asia must continue to grow rapidly to pull out hundreds of millions of people still living in poverty and to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Rapid development has brought enormous benefits to its people, with 300 million people lifted above the $1 a day poverty line since 1990. However, nearly 1.9 billion Asian people - half the region's population - live on $2 a day or less, and about 1/3 of these people still have less than $1 a day. Moreover, about 1 billion people in Asia do not have access to electricity. Thus, providing energy for all is also among the many challenges facing the region. These mean that Asia's energy consumption will continue to rise.
Given the growth in global energy consumption and the recent volatility in the oil and gas markets, addressing energy security is also becoming a national priority and central to future planning in Asia. Huge investments are required in the oil producing countries to meet the rapidly growing world energy demand. And questions have been raised about the future flow of oil and gas. How will the world demand be met despite large fluctuations? What are the alternative options? What are the implications for government budgets and the economy? Solutions must be found through collective global action.
It will be a big challenge to meet Asia's energy needs comprehensively without adversely impacting the local and global environment. Climate change due to rising GHG emissions is a major concern. Clearly energy and environment are the top priorities for Asia today. Moreover, like other parts of the world, Asia is also affected by emissions taking place across the globe including from high energy consumption in industrialized countries. Thus, there is a strong case for collective global action on these issues.
III. Climate Change - a Global Challenge
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that "Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level.' Moreover, "Eleven of the last twelve years (1995-2006) rank among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature (since 1850)." Such global warming, according to scientists, will severely hinder long-term efforts to create a more healthy, prosperous and sustainable world.
We all know about the comprehensive Stern Review on the economics of climate change, which has contributed greatly to our understanding of the economic implications of climate change. The Review estimates that the likely cost of stabilizing emissions to a level corresponding to a 2oC temperature rise will be around 1% of global GDP by 2050. The economic impact of not taking adequate action far exceeds this amount.
Scientists also tell us that global warming will irreversibly damage fragile ecosystems from the Himalayan highlands to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia and down to the Pacific Islands. Human populations in all parts of the world will be vulnerable to more severe natural disasters, rises in sea level, less freshwater availability, and threat to crop production and aquaculture. But it is communities in the poorer and more vulnerable countries, including those in South Asia and the Pacific, who will suffer the most. And it is countries like these that lack the resources to either mitigate or adapt to climate change.
There will be no winners on the planet if the current pattern of energy consumption continues and the rise in greenhouse gas emissions remains unabated.
IV. Multiple Solutions are Required
The current trend of rapidly increasing greenhouse gas emissions allows only a short window to act. Global - and multiple - solutions are needed. Recent research and analysis have shown that it is possible to maintain carbon dioxide emissions around acceptable levels, but it will be possible only if firm policy decisions are taken. The hope for keeping atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide equivalent within reasonable limits critically hinges on two key factors (i) energy efficiency promoted by national governments, and (ii) new policies that put a price on carbon - whether in the form of a carbon emission tax, or a cap-and-trade system like the Kyoto protocol or its variant. Moreover, as greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere for many decades, there is also a need to adapt to climate change.
While a range of actions will be needed to address all climate change issues comprehensively, let me mention a few key ones.
First Asia's use of energy must be made more efficient. Promoting energy efficiency should be a priority in the region. On the demand side, residential and commercial buildings account for more than 60% of electricity demand today. Efficient lighting, space heating and cooling equipment and other efficient appliances can reduce energy consumption by 70%. As the cost of energy increases, industries that take steps now to increase their efficiency will obviously have a competitive edge.
The transport sector currently contributes about one-fifth of global greenhouse gas and is the fastest growing producer of greenhouse gas. Transport now represents about 21% of total global energy consumption, and is projected to account for over 60% of the increase by 2025, with much of this growth in emerging Asian economies. By 2035, the number of private cars and SUVs in China will be 15 times higher that in 2005, and in India, 13 times higher. Since urban car travel uses 3.5 times as much as energy as urban bus travel and 6.6 times more than electric train travel, well designed mass public transit systems in Asia's major cities are essential. Substantial public and private investment will be required, but will bring commensurate benefits.
Asian countries can also consider using tax and other incentives to promote bio fuels and hybrid vehicles. The number and size of mega cities (with populations of more than 10 million) in Asia are projected to grow. But the lifestyle model of working in downtown, living in suburban areas, and shopping in malls does not seem sustainable over time. To ensure a more sustainable lifestyle, there is a need to improve urban planning and reduce travel demand, and make the cities livable.
On the supply side, according to the International Energy Agency, fossil fuel based power generation is projected to account for about 80% of the region's total electricity supply. As we know, coal based power plants are a major source of carbon dioxide or CO2. A coal based plant built now will continue to generate green house gases for 50 years and beyond. Thus, there is a need to quickly adopt globally available cleaner technologies, such as super and ultra critical boilers, and integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plants. New coal plants should aim to capture carbon, as captured carbon can be sold, even though the technologies to capture carbon are in the nascent stages. Renovation and modernization of existing power plants should also be accorded high priority. Simultaneously, investment in renewable energy such as windmill, photovoltaic, bio fuel etc. has to be considerably increased. Although the cost of renewable energy is still high compared to traditional sources of energy, benefits from trading credits under the Kyoto Protocol can reduce the burden. Some form of concessional fund by donors and multilateral finance institutions might also be needed to move this agenda forward.
The second action is the adoption of new technologies. New technology is important for achieving both energy efficiency and low carbon energy production. Carbon emission-reducing technologies, in both demand and supply sides, have been developed and research is continuing. These technologies need to be transferred to the developing countries where energy use is growing faster. Developed countries and the private sector should be forthcoming in transferring new and better technologies. Mechanisms should be developed to finance the additional cost of new technologies, particularly during the initial period. Asia has an impeccable record of reducing the cost of new technologies, from computer chips to cars, which has benefited the entire world. Thus, financial support to Asia for technology transfer can potentially benefit the entire world. At the same time, Asia should also consider allocating larger resources for research and development (R&D) on energy efficiency and low carbon energy production.
Third, putting a price on carbon through a cap-and-trade system in carbon or a carbon emission tax will be critical for effective reduction in carbon emission.
The Kyoto Protocol, through which 160 countries have committed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions or engage in emissions trading, has proven to be an effective first step. With the emergence of international emissions trading, capital is effectively being transferred to developing countries for investment in projects that reduce carbon emissions. It has been estimated that international carbon trading and carbon finance has the potential to generate up to 100 billion dollars in green investment flows. However, this scale of investment and the positive change it will create in developing countries will only occur if there is certainty about the nature of the international climate change regime going forward.
The global community should look beyond the arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol (i.e. beyond 2012) to avoid investment risk perception. It is critical to send a long-term prices signal that gives confidence to both governments and project developers. A post-2012 regime is needed soon. Going forward, it is important to engage countries like the United States, China and India in building global consensus on climate change issues. Any agreement reached should maximize the deployment of greenhouse gas mitigation, clean energy and energy efficiency technologies and projects, and increase the availability of carbon finance in developing countries. The way ahead should also include more emphasis on frequent measurement and reporting at various levels, including the national emissions and enterprise level emissions. This would help bring the problem into focus and encourage more sincere efforts in finding results oriented mechanisms.
While the use of cap and trade in carbon has increased, the use of carbon tax as an instrument to address climate change concerns has yet to take off. It is important to discuss and examine related issues, as this instrument also has a strong potential to promote development of clean energy sources and stabilize greenhouse gas emissions.
Fourth, even with the most ambitious mitigation measures, adaptation will be needed to reduce vulnerability to climate change. Thus, there is a need to integrate adaptation to climate change into future planning and investment. Generally, the more densely populated and less developed countries are the most vulnerable but also the least able to adapt. Developing countries have underscored the importance of adaptation in several international forums. And national and international development organizations, including ADB, have already started to work with developing countries to build their adaptive capacity. These efforts need to be scaled up.
To recap, energy efficiency, the adoption of new technologies, putting a price on carbon and preparing for adaptation are key steps that can - and must - be acted on. If these solutions are applied now, and correct decisions made about future energy investments, it is possible that developing Asian economies could transition to cleaner, sustainable energy use within a few decades. But the global solution cannot come from Asia alone. Sincere and substantial efforts will be needed from both developed and developing countries across the world. None of these solutions will be easy to implement - nor will they be without costs. Resources will have to be found to make this $6 trillion energy investment green. Both domestic and external sources involving a range of players - public-private, sovereign government-multilateral organizations, the donor community and the capital market - will have to be mobilized.
V. Global and Regional Efforts
Multilateral cooperation and action is particularly important. One of the important early initiative on climate change was the Gleneagles G8 dialogue and the multilateral financial institutions' Investment Framework for Clean Energy and Development. The Framework acknowledges what we all already know - that international finance institutions such as ADB and the World Bank do not and will not on their own have sufficient capital to meet the demand required for clean energy and other necessary infrastructure projects. In this regard, a proposal to establish a $10 billion fund under the investment framework, focusing on energy access, low carbon economy and adaptation, is on the table. This proposal is deserving of further discussions.
Another worthy initiative is the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, or AP6, launched in January 2006. AP6, whose member countries are India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the United States, was created to promote technology transfer, demonstration and investment in clean energy and more efficient industrial technologies. AP6 complements the Kyoto Protocol and engages the private sector for transition to cleaner production of key energy using industries. I was present at its inaugural meeting in Sydney, and we at ADB share its vision.
Other multi-lateral initiatives are also emerging. For example, at their Summit in January 2007, the ASEAN countries together with Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand announced a joint initiative to endorse the urgent need to address global warming and climate change and energy security. More such collective resolutions can be expected in the future.
Finally, voluntary action on carbon emission reduction has been growing across the world. There are good examples in Europe, Japan, United States, and non-government organizations. This reflects a rising public awareness and support for greater action to address climate change issues.
VI. Concluding Remarks
Ladies and gentlemen, let me close by re-emphasizing the need for all parties, in all parts of the world, to join hands and scale up our collective effort to meet this massive challenge of mitigating and adapting to climate change. Asia's energy and environment issues are important for both the region and the world. We at ADB are aware of our responsibilities and have renewed our emphasis on clean energy and the environment. Our clean energy and environment program includes, among others:
An Energy Efficiency Initiative to forge a regional strategy for promoting greater investments and activities in energy efficiency;
A Carbon Market Initiative to provide upfront financing and technical support to clean development mechanism projects; and
The establishment of knowledge hubs on clean energy in Asia.
Clean energy and climate change comprise a global agenda requiring a collective and inclusive global response. While it will take action by all countries, the development community has a special role in transfer of knowledge, technology and funds to the developing countries. The final global outcome will depend upon the collective determination of all of us to ensuring a more prosperous, cleaner, safer, healthier world for the future generations.
© 2008 Asian Development Bank
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Speech By
Haruhiko Kuroda
President
Asian Development Bank
At the Chatham House
12 March 2007
London, United Kingdom
I. Introduction
Mr. Chairman, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank Chatham House for giving me the opportunity to present my views on Asian's energy needs and climate change and contribute to our collective thinking about the way forward.
II. Asia's Development Path
Asia today is clearly a remarkable success story of rapid economic growth and poverty reduction. In less than a generation, the Asian people have transformed their economies to become among the most vibrant and dynamic in the world. Following Japan and "Asian Tiger" economies, now China and India are emerging as major players in the global economy. Over the past 25 years or so, China has averaged real GDP growth of close to 10% a year. India's trend growth has accelerated steadily from about 4% in the 1960s to the early 1980's, to around 7% to 8% in recent years. Developments in these countries are important not only for Asia but also for the world.
Along with growth, Asia's energy consumption, which is dominated by greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting fossil fuel, has been rising. Over the last 30 years, Asia's energy consumption has grown by 230%. Asia now accounts for nearly one-quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Looking ahead, the International Energy Agency estimates that the region will require more than $6 trillion from now to 2030 for new energy infrastructure. The bulk of this requirement will come from China and India, the two major emerging economies of the world. More than half of the energy infrastructure investments will be directed toward electricity, primarily coal-fired power plants. On the basis of such increased energy demand and consumption, it is reported that the global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions will surpass 40 billion ton in 2030, with Asia contributing about 40% of total emissions. Thus, Asia's future development path is attracting high level of global attention.
Asia must continue to grow rapidly to pull out hundreds of millions of people still living in poverty and to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Rapid development has brought enormous benefits to its people, with 300 million people lifted above the $1 a day poverty line since 1990. However, nearly 1.9 billion Asian people - half the region's population - live on $2 a day or less, and about 1/3 of these people still have less than $1 a day. Moreover, about 1 billion people in Asia do not have access to electricity. Thus, providing energy for all is also among the many challenges facing the region. These mean that Asia's energy consumption will continue to rise.
Given the growth in global energy consumption and the recent volatility in the oil and gas markets, addressing energy security is also becoming a national priority and central to future planning in Asia. Huge investments are required in the oil producing countries to meet the rapidly growing world energy demand. And questions have been raised about the future flow of oil and gas. How will the world demand be met despite large fluctuations? What are the alternative options? What are the implications for government budgets and the economy? Solutions must be found through collective global action.
It will be a big challenge to meet Asia's energy needs comprehensively without adversely impacting the local and global environment. Climate change due to rising GHG emissions is a major concern. Clearly energy and environment are the top priorities for Asia today. Moreover, like other parts of the world, Asia is also affected by emissions taking place across the globe including from high energy consumption in industrialized countries. Thus, there is a strong case for collective global action on these issues.
III. Climate Change - a Global Challenge
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that "Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level.' Moreover, "Eleven of the last twelve years (1995-2006) rank among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature (since 1850)." Such global warming, according to scientists, will severely hinder long-term efforts to create a more healthy, prosperous and sustainable world.
We all know about the comprehensive Stern Review on the economics of climate change, which has contributed greatly to our understanding of the economic implications of climate change. The Review estimates that the likely cost of stabilizing emissions to a level corresponding to a 2oC temperature rise will be around 1% of global GDP by 2050. The economic impact of not taking adequate action far exceeds this amount.
Scientists also tell us that global warming will irreversibly damage fragile ecosystems from the Himalayan highlands to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia and down to the Pacific Islands. Human populations in all parts of the world will be vulnerable to more severe natural disasters, rises in sea level, less freshwater availability, and threat to crop production and aquaculture. But it is communities in the poorer and more vulnerable countries, including those in South Asia and the Pacific, who will suffer the most. And it is countries like these that lack the resources to either mitigate or adapt to climate change.
There will be no winners on the planet if the current pattern of energy consumption continues and the rise in greenhouse gas emissions remains unabated.
IV. Multiple Solutions are Required
The current trend of rapidly increasing greenhouse gas emissions allows only a short window to act. Global - and multiple - solutions are needed. Recent research and analysis have shown that it is possible to maintain carbon dioxide emissions around acceptable levels, but it will be possible only if firm policy decisions are taken. The hope for keeping atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide equivalent within reasonable limits critically hinges on two key factors (i) energy efficiency promoted by national governments, and (ii) new policies that put a price on carbon - whether in the form of a carbon emission tax, or a cap-and-trade system like the Kyoto protocol or its variant. Moreover, as greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere for many decades, there is also a need to adapt to climate change.
While a range of actions will be needed to address all climate change issues comprehensively, let me mention a few key ones.
First Asia's use of energy must be made more efficient. Promoting energy efficiency should be a priority in the region. On the demand side, residential and commercial buildings account for more than 60% of electricity demand today. Efficient lighting, space heating and cooling equipment and other efficient appliances can reduce energy consumption by 70%. As the cost of energy increases, industries that take steps now to increase their efficiency will obviously have a competitive edge.
The transport sector currently contributes about one-fifth of global greenhouse gas and is the fastest growing producer of greenhouse gas. Transport now represents about 21% of total global energy consumption, and is projected to account for over 60% of the increase by 2025, with much of this growth in emerging Asian economies. By 2035, the number of private cars and SUVs in China will be 15 times higher that in 2005, and in India, 13 times higher. Since urban car travel uses 3.5 times as much as energy as urban bus travel and 6.6 times more than electric train travel, well designed mass public transit systems in Asia's major cities are essential. Substantial public and private investment will be required, but will bring commensurate benefits.
Asian countries can also consider using tax and other incentives to promote bio fuels and hybrid vehicles. The number and size of mega cities (with populations of more than 10 million) in Asia are projected to grow. But the lifestyle model of working in downtown, living in suburban areas, and shopping in malls does not seem sustainable over time. To ensure a more sustainable lifestyle, there is a need to improve urban planning and reduce travel demand, and make the cities livable.
On the supply side, according to the International Energy Agency, fossil fuel based power generation is projected to account for about 80% of the region's total electricity supply. As we know, coal based power plants are a major source of carbon dioxide or CO2. A coal based plant built now will continue to generate green house gases for 50 years and beyond. Thus, there is a need to quickly adopt globally available cleaner technologies, such as super and ultra critical boilers, and integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plants. New coal plants should aim to capture carbon, as captured carbon can be sold, even though the technologies to capture carbon are in the nascent stages. Renovation and modernization of existing power plants should also be accorded high priority. Simultaneously, investment in renewable energy such as windmill, photovoltaic, bio fuel etc. has to be considerably increased. Although the cost of renewable energy is still high compared to traditional sources of energy, benefits from trading credits under the Kyoto Protocol can reduce the burden. Some form of concessional fund by donors and multilateral finance institutions might also be needed to move this agenda forward.
The second action is the adoption of new technologies. New technology is important for achieving both energy efficiency and low carbon energy production. Carbon emission-reducing technologies, in both demand and supply sides, have been developed and research is continuing. These technologies need to be transferred to the developing countries where energy use is growing faster. Developed countries and the private sector should be forthcoming in transferring new and better technologies. Mechanisms should be developed to finance the additional cost of new technologies, particularly during the initial period. Asia has an impeccable record of reducing the cost of new technologies, from computer chips to cars, which has benefited the entire world. Thus, financial support to Asia for technology transfer can potentially benefit the entire world. At the same time, Asia should also consider allocating larger resources for research and development (R&D) on energy efficiency and low carbon energy production.
Third, putting a price on carbon through a cap-and-trade system in carbon or a carbon emission tax will be critical for effective reduction in carbon emission.
The Kyoto Protocol, through which 160 countries have committed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions or engage in emissions trading, has proven to be an effective first step. With the emergence of international emissions trading, capital is effectively being transferred to developing countries for investment in projects that reduce carbon emissions. It has been estimated that international carbon trading and carbon finance has the potential to generate up to 100 billion dollars in green investment flows. However, this scale of investment and the positive change it will create in developing countries will only occur if there is certainty about the nature of the international climate change regime going forward.
The global community should look beyond the arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol (i.e. beyond 2012) to avoid investment risk perception. It is critical to send a long-term prices signal that gives confidence to both governments and project developers. A post-2012 regime is needed soon. Going forward, it is important to engage countries like the United States, China and India in building global consensus on climate change issues. Any agreement reached should maximize the deployment of greenhouse gas mitigation, clean energy and energy efficiency technologies and projects, and increase the availability of carbon finance in developing countries. The way ahead should also include more emphasis on frequent measurement and reporting at various levels, including the national emissions and enterprise level emissions. This would help bring the problem into focus and encourage more sincere efforts in finding results oriented mechanisms.
While the use of cap and trade in carbon has increased, the use of carbon tax as an instrument to address climate change concerns has yet to take off. It is important to discuss and examine related issues, as this instrument also has a strong potential to promote development of clean energy sources and stabilize greenhouse gas emissions.
Fourth, even with the most ambitious mitigation measures, adaptation will be needed to reduce vulnerability to climate change. Thus, there is a need to integrate adaptation to climate change into future planning and investment. Generally, the more densely populated and less developed countries are the most vulnerable but also the least able to adapt. Developing countries have underscored the importance of adaptation in several international forums. And national and international development organizations, including ADB, have already started to work with developing countries to build their adaptive capacity. These efforts need to be scaled up.
To recap, energy efficiency, the adoption of new technologies, putting a price on carbon and preparing for adaptation are key steps that can - and must - be acted on. If these solutions are applied now, and correct decisions made about future energy investments, it is possible that developing Asian economies could transition to cleaner, sustainable energy use within a few decades. But the global solution cannot come from Asia alone. Sincere and substantial efforts will be needed from both developed and developing countries across the world. None of these solutions will be easy to implement - nor will they be without costs. Resources will have to be found to make this $6 trillion energy investment green. Both domestic and external sources involving a range of players - public-private, sovereign government-multilateral organizations, the donor community and the capital market - will have to be mobilized.
V. Global and Regional Efforts
Multilateral cooperation and action is particularly important. One of the important early initiative on climate change was the Gleneagles G8 dialogue and the multilateral financial institutions' Investment Framework for Clean Energy and Development. The Framework acknowledges what we all already know - that international finance institutions such as ADB and the World Bank do not and will not on their own have sufficient capital to meet the demand required for clean energy and other necessary infrastructure projects. In this regard, a proposal to establish a $10 billion fund under the investment framework, focusing on energy access, low carbon economy and adaptation, is on the table. This proposal is deserving of further discussions.
Another worthy initiative is the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, or AP6, launched in January 2006. AP6, whose member countries are India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the United States, was created to promote technology transfer, demonstration and investment in clean energy and more efficient industrial technologies. AP6 complements the Kyoto Protocol and engages the private sector for transition to cleaner production of key energy using industries. I was present at its inaugural meeting in Sydney, and we at ADB share its vision.
Other multi-lateral initiatives are also emerging. For example, at their Summit in January 2007, the ASEAN countries together with Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand announced a joint initiative to endorse the urgent need to address global warming and climate change and energy security. More such collective resolutions can be expected in the future.
Finally, voluntary action on carbon emission reduction has been growing across the world. There are good examples in Europe, Japan, United States, and non-government organizations. This reflects a rising public awareness and support for greater action to address climate change issues.
VI. Concluding Remarks
Ladies and gentlemen, let me close by re-emphasizing the need for all parties, in all parts of the world, to join hands and scale up our collective effort to meet this massive challenge of mitigating and adapting to climate change. Asia's energy and environment issues are important for both the region and the world. We at ADB are aware of our responsibilities and have renewed our emphasis on clean energy and the environment. Our clean energy and environment program includes, among others:
An Energy Efficiency Initiative to forge a regional strategy for promoting greater investments and activities in energy efficiency;
A Carbon Market Initiative to provide upfront financing and technical support to clean development mechanism projects; and
The establishment of knowledge hubs on clean energy in Asia.
Clean energy and climate change comprise a global agenda requiring a collective and inclusive global response. While it will take action by all countries, the development community has a special role in transfer of knowledge, technology and funds to the developing countries. The final global outcome will depend upon the collective determination of all of us to ensuring a more prosperous, cleaner, safer, healthier world for the future generations.
© 2008 Asian Development Bank
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