Sharad Saxena, Doctoral Researcher , Oxford University
BAQ 2008, 12-14 November 2008 (Bangkok, Thailand)

Abstract:

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) contributions from the transport sector are growing rapidly due to increased demand for travel resulting from sustained economic growth in the Asian region. Travel demand and shipment of goods, coupled with the unprecedented growth in vehicle ownership, makes the transport sector the largest contributor of GHG as well as a significant contributor to air pollution in Asian cities. Investments in the sector tend to be reactive and ad-hoc in nature, partly as a result of the traditional approach to ‘forecast and provide’ transport infrastructure. A paradigm shift to a forward looking, systematic, holistic and programmed approach for the development of sustainable transport solutions is required, to mitigate the GHG emissions contributed by the sector. ‘Backcasting’ techniques allow integrated policy packages to be delivered over time to meet such challenges.

This paper develops a series of different but challenging visions and scenarios that will help achieve a carbon efficient transport future in Asia using Delhi, India as a case study. It also provides an inventory of policy measures that would be appropriate for implementation over the time period (2008-2030), both individually and in combination, and estimates their potential contribution to the headline carbon reduction targets.