Promoting Environmentally Sustainable Transport in the People’s Republic of China

Promoting Environmentally Sustainable Transport in the People’s Republic of China

Executive Summary

The Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has recognized the extreme importance transportation plays in economic development and has promoted the rapid growth of all modes. The challenge is to decouple social progress and economic growth from unsustainable resource depletion and adverse environmental impacts.

The transport system is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions especially in the road and aviation sectors, which are also very energy intensive. Currently, 35% of the PRC’s crude oil consumption is for transport. The highway system has increased nearly 300% in 26 years, and the proportion of private passenger vehicles to total vehicles increased from 6.8% in 1980 to 78.2% in 2006. In terms of kilometers (km) traveled, air passenger traffic tripled from 68 billion passenger-km in 1995 to 237 billion in 2006. Air cargo almost quadrupled in the same period. In the past 2 years, the PRC alone accounted for more than 30% of the world’s incremental consumption of liquid fuels, and its strong growth in consumption has helped support high oil prices. Consumption is projected to grow 3.5 times over the next 30 years.

Numerous initiatives have been undertaken or proposed to reduce the negative environmental and health impacts of the current transport system. There have been significant gains with respect to specific pollutants, notably carbon monoxide and lead, thanks to regulations controlling vehicle emissions and fuel quality; nevertheless, genuine energy conservation has become an urgent task. The revised Energy Conservation Law includes measures to conserve energy in the transport sector by developing and using clean, alternative fuels and by giving incentives for the development, production, and use of alcohol, hybrid, electrical, and compressed natural gas vehicles. The Eleventh Five-Year Plan also prioritizes the development of public transportation with mass rapid transit as a key mode in megacities.

In addition to these measures, a new, target-oriented approach is needed that places energy efficiency, environment, and health at the top of the policy agenda. Environmentally sustainable transport (EST) focuses on vehicle and fuel technology and on infrastructure on the one hand, and on changes in transport activity and management including land use patterns on the other. The latter involves favoring a higher share and use of environmentally sound, healthy modes; increasing vehicle loading and occupancy; reducing the need for motorized transport; changing mobility patterns and driving behaviors; and providing information and education about the efficient use of transport. EST calls for a much greater emphasis on policies to manage transport demand than was necessary in the past.

To realize EST, six broad policy measures with specific activities are recommended: implement administrative reforms, use economic instruments to promote sustainable transport, integrate planning and optimize transportation structure, promote transport equity, promote public transportation and implement mobility management, and conserve resources and promote environmentally friendly transportation.

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