Transportation as if people mattered

The world’s car population is booming. Cars are polluting the world cities, dumping increasing amounts of carbon dioxide and other climate-altering greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and consuming vast quantities of petroleum. “The North American dream of a car – or two or three of them – in every garage is beginning to look like a nightmare for our planet,” warns the former president of the World Resources Institute. Is this true? Will our thirst for automobile mobility inevitably lead to environmental and economic cataclysm? Many believe so, and with some justification.

The alarming reality is that the automobile population is growing at a much faster rate than the human population, with saturation nowhere in sight. In 1950, there were approximately 50 million vehicles on earth, roughly 2 for every 100 persons. By 1994 the vehicle population had soared to almost 600 million, roughly 10 per 100 people. If present trends continue, over 3 billion vehicles could be in operation by the year 2050 exceeding 20 per 100. Even then, world car ownership rates would fall far short of current (2009) U.S. rates of 70 per 100 people.

A sobering assessment of the future? Yes. Is disaster inevitable? Not necessarily. The future needs not to be a simple extrapolation of the past; public policy can be changed and private investment altered. We can shift to a more environmentally friendly transportation system without unduly restricting freedom of movement. I envision a future only a few decades distant in which petroleum consumption, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions by new motor vehicles are reduced to near zero – at little or no additional cost.

Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) are good for running errands or commuting to work. For short city/urban travel, NEVs make perfect sense. Replacing the 2nd or 3rd vehicle in household with a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) is an appealing option.

The Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) will not only change the way that you drive, but the way you live. It’s not a car, it’s a cause.

The Cost of Petroleum & Population

If Hong Kong was to take action on climate change, what responsibilities should each of the following have?

Mankind face a great challenge in reducing the terrible air pollution problems that exist in most cities. This pollution damages buildings, crops, and forests. This pollution is responsible for increased health cost ie: respiratory ailments, carbon monoxide causes heart trouble, and nervous system difficulties.

One difficulty to overcome in breaking down the prejudice against Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) is ignorance of the inefficiencies and ecological costs, as well as economic costs, caused with a petroleum-based economy. Not all of the opposition is a deliberate attack on NEVs. Many people are simply afraid of change. They don’t stop thinking about the inefficiencies, inconveniences, and other drawbacks of the lifestyles that they have become accustomed to.

NEVs are also good for the economy. Increasing the average fuel efficiency of gasoline cars to 50 miles per gallon is bad for the economy. It’s better to have extra dollars in your pocket and then have to pay a thousand dollars in health care costs because of air pollution. Putting short-term economic gains above long-term gains creates a lot of problems.

Of course most of us know by now that NEVs offer the best hope of a solution to many, though certainly not all, problems caused by gasoline cars and trucks. An increase in the use of solar, wind, and other renewable and non-polluting forms of electric-power generation would continue to improve the outlook. There is definitely reason for optimism here. But we must also be realistic. NEVs and the production of the power to run them do cause some environmental problems, too:

Global Primary Energy Consumption by Source in 2009:

35% Oil
29% Coal
24% Gas
7% Hydro
5% Nuclear
0.42% Renewables

Population

Some time in the year 2011, the Earth’s human population is expected to reach seven billion. By 2045, global population is projected to reach nine billion. Almost half the World – over 3 billion people – lives on less than $2.50 a day. At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.

Unless population growth can soon be brought under control, however, the possibility that we can maintain breathable air is nil. There is a vicious cycle that starts with more people, who demand more goods, which requires the conversion of more natural resources into more products, which unavoidably creates more pollution of our environment.

In order to break this vicious cycle we must develop a new philosophy of life. As individuals we must now begin to consider the ecological consequences of ALL of our actions. As a society of careless individuals we have recklessly degraded the quality of our air. As a society of environmentally aware individuals we are now faced with the consequences of our carelessness, and it remains to be seen whether we shall be equal to the monumental task of preserving our air.