How India’s transport sector can help in the cleanup act

Experts are in the midst of carving out several ways to ensure a low carbon vision for India. The goal is to analyse the country’s potential and achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions for the short to medium term (2020-‘30). 

While various parts of the economy are responsible for the state of affairs, the transport sector remains the second largest contributor to carbon dioxide emissions. Further, India is urbanising at an unprecedented pace. According to a recent study, the population of its cities will grow from an estimated 340 million in 2008 to 590 million by 2030 (McKinsey & Company 2010).

In the face of this growth, it is critical to improve urban transport and ensure high quality of life in Indian cities. It is as important to ask whether the transport sector will enable or disable a low carbon vision in the long term. In other words, will this sector add to the country’s pollution woes? Alternatively, will it be able to develop sustainable transport solutions that will not derail a broader low carbon vision?

The good news is that India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change recognises that greenhouse gas emissions from transport can be reduced. Analysts further put forward a three-pronged approach: Avoid-Shift-Improve.

Avoid implies integrating land use and transport planning in cities to avoid unnecessary trips and reduce (trip) lengths. Shift enables a move from unsustainable to sustainable transport modes (or prevent the reverse shift) through a two-pronged strategy. This involves managing private motorisation growth and providing attractive sustainable alternatives, including non-motorised and public transport. Improve means to improve vehicles, fuel technology and engine efficiency in all modes to increase safety and reduce environmental impacts of transport.

The rationale is that by adopting a sustainable approach (which is a combination of measures like increased use of public transport, higher penetration of bio-fuels and enhanced energy efficiency of vehicles), the transport sector can play a positive role in reducing emissions.

A UNEP report also states that green transport businesses operating on the Avoid-Shift-Improve strategy have a definite place in the future, apart from providing more employment in developing economies (United Nations Environment Programme 2011 Report on Transport: Towards a Green Economy).

In order to move down this path of reducing emissions from the transport sector, it is evident that much needs to be done and the onus will ultimately depend on a collaborative approach by all stakeholders. These include the city government, urban planners and the private sector which will have to take commercial bets on providing viable green solutions.

It is at this juncture that we can look at examples from cleaner and more developed countries that are proactively trying to achieve sustainable solutions in the transport sector. On the one hand, use of public transport, public bicycles and car-sharing schemes have had a positive impact on over 160 countries worldwide.

On the other, there is a need to put innovative design and technological solutions ahead of conventional options. A study conducted in Stockholm shows that bio-ethanol is by far the most eco-efficient technology for renewable fuel in terms of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from heavy duty vehicles. The study showed that its ethanol trucks accounted for the greatest reduction in carbon emissions, which is nearly 70 per cent.

It is imperative for a rapidly urbanising economy like India to reach out to private vehicle manufacturers for meeting targets on low carbon emission.  With increasing demand for passenger and freight transport options, large and long-term capital investments must be made considering the enabling role of the transport sector in nation building. Transport planning and environmental management must go hand-in-hand while combating rapid motorisation (especially of car and motorbikes) in urban India. Other developing economies like China, Morocco and countries in Africa are already weaving policies to support green industries.

A World Bank report states that Brazil has already made a major shift towards bio-fuels. Learning from global examples, we can see that much emphasis needs to be given on de-materialisation, energy efficiency and sustainable consumption.

As India embarks on building new smart cities, will it adopt smart and sustainable transport solutions as a key component during the process? The task is not easy but doable. It also requires close coordination, sequenced and time bound execution by all stakeholders.

There is, for example, little point when the market has clean buses to offer but cities in turn have not provided roads to run them on. It leaves us with the impending question on whether India has the political commitment, economic feasibility, institutional support and societal awareness to make low carbon emissions a possibility for the transport sector in the future.

The writer is MD, Scania India and Senior VP, Scania Group

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