Reducing Air Pollution from Urban Transport

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Addressing Emissions from Mobile Sources Sameer
Akbar The World Bank National Workshop on Urban
Air Pollution Lahore, Pakistan December 13-15,
2004
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Content

• Background and Context
• Questions for appraisal of policy options to
  tackle emissions from urban transport Dhaka
  example phase out of two-stroke three-wheelers

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1. Background and Context
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Schematic of Integrated Air Quality Management
Ambient Concentration
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Why do We Care About Urban Air Pollution?
The relative burden of environmental damages

• Human health impacts
• WHO estimated more than 150,000 attributable
  deaths to urban air pollution in South Asia in
  2002.
• Morbidity numbers are much higher.
• Other environmental externalities and concerns
• Damage to natural and physical capital, amenity
  losses, noise, contribution to climate change

Note Average for 6 developing cities Source
Lvovsky et al.
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Role of Urban Transport

• Important contributor to air pollution
• Lead from gasolinea problem of the past in South
  Asia as they have phased out leaded gasoline
• Fine and ultrafine particles in vehicle
  exhaustmain concern now
• Ozone precursors (HC and NOx) in vehicle
  exhaustemerging problem for the future
• Current reality
• Old polluting fleets and low replacement rates
• Fuel adulteration, poor fuel quality and vehicle
  maintenance culture
• Weak administrative capacity to regulate and
  monitor
• Future challenge
• Rising income and motorization will increase
  pollution unless concerted measures are taken

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2. Questions for appraisal of policy options to
tackle emissions from urban transport
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Question 1 Are the adverse impacts of urban air
pollution serious?

• Is the impact of urban air pollution on public
  health and lost productivity considerable
  compared to other threats, such as
• Lack of access to safe drinking water
• Extensive use of dirty fuels in households
• Yes identify problem pollutants
• No look for environmental benefits that can be
  achieved through no regret adjustments to
  transport policy.

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Question 2Which pollutants cause the most damage
?

• Pollutants should be ranked according to
  toxicity, ambient concentrations, and exposure.
• Fine particulate matter is the pollutant of most
  concern in South Asia.
• A common mistake is to rank on the basis of
  emissions in weight based on an emissions
  inventory.
• Toxicity is not taken into account.
• Emissions in weight are not directly proportional
  to ambient concentrations or exposure.

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Question 3 Does transport contribute
significantly to the problem pollutants?

• Need to identify the relative significance of
  sources contributing the most to the general
  populations exposure to fine particulate air
  pollution.
• Large industrial plant
• Small and medium size industries, diesel
  generators.
• Household consumption of solid fuels (biomass).
• Vehicular emissions.
• Leaf and informal refuse burning.
• Re-suspension of road-dust.
• Yes identify sources within the transport sector
• No look for environmental benefits that can be
  achieved through no regret adjustments to
  transport policy.

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Sources within the transport sector
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Addressing emissions per unit of fuel consumed

• Fuel and lubricant standards and options
• Use of cleaner fuels
• Vehicle emission standards, enforcement, and
  incentives
• Ensuring compliance

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Addressing fuel consumption per unit of transport
service

• Increasing vehicle fuel efficiency
• New and improved technology
• Encouraging non-motorized transport
• Provision of pedestrian spaces and cycle lanes
• Improving traffic management
• Traffic signaling systems
• Supporting fiscal incentives
• Introducing competition in franchising of public
  transport

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Reducing total transport

• Restraining demand for movement
• Integrating land use and transport planning
• Influencing modal choice
• Congestion pricing
• Restraining private vehicle use
• Parking policies

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Possible Policy Instruments

• Fuel Quality Improvement
• Vehicle Technology Improvement
• Traffic Management
• Public Transport Regulation and Control
• Vehicle Replacement Strategies
• Land Use Policies
• Fiscal Policies

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Question 4 How to decide on policy instruments
to be used?

• Summary considerations.
• Urban transport policy will be driven by mobility
  and development concerns
• Seek synergies with transport objectives and face
  trade-offs to reduce air pollution
• One size doesnt fit all !
• The institutional and policy framework is
  fundamental to long-term solutions
• Technology will provide major environmental gains
  but will rarely be successful in a vacuum
• Work with and not against economic incentives

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3. Dhaka Example 2-stroke phase out
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Air Quality in Dhaka
Note PM is the major pollutant of concern in
Dhaka.
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Two Stroke Three-wheelers a problem in Dhaka

• About 50,000 two-stroke engine gasoline-fueled
  three-wheelers, nicknamed baby-taxis, provided
  useful point-to-point transportation for Dhaka
  population.
• These were major sources of particulate and
  hydrocarbon emissions in Dhaka.
• Emissions were exacerbated by the use of
  inferior-quality and excess lubricant (called
  straight mineral oil).

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Dimension of the strategy

• Understanding of the Problem Health, Technical
  options, Social, Fuel and Lube, dissemination,
  economic, etc.
• Stakeholder consultation extensive throughout
  the process a key
• Public awareness and support through information
  dissemination media support
• Vision milestones, legal conditions, etc.
• Policy support and use of Import tariffs
• Praying - for a political champion

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Getting on the Right Track

• Identifying and meeting stakeholders to
  understand different views issues (1996)
• Study tour of stakeholders to India (1997)
• Continuous liaison with press - 1996 onwards
• Workshop on AQM in Dhaka to better understand
  emission sources and issues (1998)
• Survey of public opinion found good support
• Proposed Baby Taxi phase-out by 1st Jan. 2003 in
  WB-funded Dhaka Urban Transport Project (DUTP) as
  a legal covenant a phased approach.

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Key Actions Undertaken in 1999-2000

• DUTP Covenants Implemented
• BRTA stopped registration of 2-stroke 3-wheeler
  by July, 1999
• GOB imposed 200 Supplementary duty on 2-stroke
  3-wheeler in July, 2000 effectively banning
  import
• Training and Capacity Building
• Training for mechanics (April 2000) 427
  mechanics trained in maintenance for emission
  reduction.
• Auto-clinics (Oct.-Nov. 2000) Emission reduction
  demonstrated with the use of better lubricants
  and maintenance on 1000 vehicles.
• Seminar on Lube oil and Gasoline Quality for Air
  Quality Improvement Nov. 21, 2000
• Revision of lube oil standards by BPC 1st
  January, 2001

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Final Countdown To Phase-out

• August 2002 Earlier plan revised with
  stakeholder input for a two stage phase-out --
  1st Sept. 2002 (pre-1995) and final 1st Jan.
  2003.
• 1st Sept. 2002 First step of phase-out executed
  gt Air is Cleaner!
• Baby-Taxis go on a 3-day strike.
• Strong press and public support for phase-out
  demonstrated.
• Replacement CNG-powered 4-stroke 3-wheelers start
  arriving as a result of lowering of taxes.
• 1st Jan. 2003 Phase-out completed gt Air is much
  cleaner!
• Good public support but some criticism in media
  for failure to address the phase-out impact.
• Quite serious transport dislocation.
• Social impact partially addressed Some owners
  and drivers were provided with 4-stroke
  3-wheelers and bus leases through their
  associations. But no serious protest from the
  affected groups.

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PM10 concentrations in Dhaka declined by 31
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Health Benefits

• Estimated decline in average yearly PM10 level of
  24 ?g/m3
• More than 900 premature deaths estimated to be
  avoided per year
• About 25 million estimated to be saved in health
  maintenance costs per year
• (Methodology Used K. Lvovsky et al
  Environmental Cost of Fossil Fuels A Rapid
  Assessment Method with Application to Six Cities,
  Environment Department Paper No. 78 (2000), The
  World Bank, Washington.)

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Livelihood Impact

• Drivers 86,000
• Owners 10,000
• Workshop owners 600
• Mechanic and helpers 2,600
• Dependents 500,000

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Lessons Learnt

• Socially difficult environmental decisions can be
  executed if there is strong support from the
  public.
• Public support can be created by working with the
  stakeholders and the press on genuine issues.
• Ultimately such decisions are fundamentally the
  result of political
• Correct management of technical issues help to
  create the room for the political will.
• Careful and long-term planning is needed for the
  mitigation of adverse impacts on both the public
  and the stakeholders.
• The transport services lost was not replaced
  immediately (or soon after), and this created
  disruptions to transport services, has led to the
  entry of private diesel buses, thus negating some
  of the gains of air quality improvement.

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Thank You!http//www.worldbank.org/sarurbanair