A World Bank working paper published online today pointed out that urban transportation public policy could affect a city's CO2 emissions in more ways than one.
The paper, based on data available from 1993 to 2006 from 17 Chinese cities, found that increases in energy use and CO2 emissions in recent years could be attributed to increases in personal trips, distance of travel and the steady shift towards private cars.
The paper also said that other policy factors such as giving priority to public transport and restricting private cars are also significant determinants of CO2 emissions.
"As China's urban transport sector is gearing up to contribute to the government's target for CO2 intensity reduction, a crucial first step is to establish a clear baseline for monitoring and evaluating progress. We hope that the paper would contribute in a small way to the current efforts in many Chinese cities," said Mr Shomik Raj Mehndiratta, one of the authors of the paper and a senior urban transport specialist of the World Bank.
Since its first loan to China's urban transport sector in 1993, the World Bank has lent over $1.8 billion to support 13 urban transport projects. It also provides policy analysis and advice to the central and municipal governments of China.
