The Urgent Need for "Smart Urban Transport" to Combat Climate Change in the People's Republic of China

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the second largest oil consumer in the world. Its vehicles account for 30 percent of its total oil consumption, and this is projected to increase to 57 percent by 2020. Transport makes up 14 percent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the world, and heavily contributes to climate change.

The growing preference for vehicles compounded by domestic migration will further increase transport use and, consequently, CO2emissions in the PRC. A strategic intervention is needed. Thus, the Asian Development Bank supported a project in the People’s Republic of China which optimized resources from the road sector to lower CO2 emissions.

The project introduced the “smart urban transport,” an approach which maximizes the capacities of a city’s existing infrastructure to manage traffic flow. Options for this approach include strategic planning, use of information technology, and appropriate taxes and incentives. These options help decongest cities by discouraging use of vehicles and encouraging sustainable, public transport. In addition, the project developed a method to measure CO2 as well as a handbook on awareness of climate change and eco-transport. These options, complemented by the project’s concrete outputs, can enable the PRC to effectively confront its growing emissions problem.