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Transport Sector (transport + sector)
Selected AbstractsParticipation of experts and non-experts in a sustainability assessment of mobilityENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2009Lorraine Whitmarsh Abstract The complexity, ambiguity and subjectivity that surround persistent problems of unsustainability, such as mobility, highlight the importance of stakeholder engagement in both knowledge production and policy development. This paper reports on research within the EU-funded MATISSE project to develop tools and methods for Integrated Sustainability Assessment (ISA), a novel interdisciplinary and participatory approach to sustainability strategy development. Two different methods , expert focus groups and citizen deliberative workshops , were employed to elicit knowledge and preferences of European stakeholders in respect of sustainable mobility. Findings from these exercises indicate areas of both convergence and divergence in the visions of sustainable mobility futures depicted by different stakeholder groups. Stakeholders agreed on the need to address problems of unsustainability in the transport sector, and identified broadly similar environmental, social and economic criteria for sustainable transport. Amenity of transport was more important for citizens, while experts focussed on pragmatic and technological issues. Both groups favoured modal shift and novel technologies, and citizens also supported demand reduction measures and choices; however, a range of barriers to achieving sustainable mobility was also identified by participants. Stakeholder feedback suggests the process was valuable and acted as a forum for social learning and the co-production of knowledge by citizens and experts, while at the same time empowering these groups to participate in an important social issue such as transport. The value and limitations of these methods for ISA are discussed and avenues for further research proposed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Identifying and assessing environmentally harmful subsidies in Germany: an overview of studies and their underlying methodologies in the energy and transport sectorENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2007Tilmann Rave Abstract The discussion on the reduction and reform of subsidies in Germany has gained momentum lately. It has repeatedly been suggested that environmental and wider efficiency consideration be taken into account in reform strategies. Yet, progress at reforming environmentally harmful subsidies seems to be slow overall. This paper provides an overview on monitoring and assessing environmentally harmful subsidies in selected German policy sectors and discusses the underlying study methodologies. For this purpose we first briefly deal with the concept of subsidy and the measurement of subsidies in general and illustrate the linkage between subsidies and their environmental effects. The main focus of the paper is then on the current state of subsidy impact assessment and/or related monitoring activities. We discuss studies relating to two different policy sectors, energy policy and transport policy. While no single best methodology exists, it is suggested that different approaches may fertilize each other. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Examining the use of subsidies for the abatement of greenhouse gas emissions through experimental simulationsENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2006Lars E. Olsson Abstract A market experiment was designed to empirically investigate the potential effectiveness of a governmental subsidy system to reduce sales and therefore production of environmentally harmful products. The important issue of whether the subsidy system preserves competitiveness was also examined. In the experiment two levels of a subsidy for unsold units were compared with no subsidy. To simulate the way in which subsidy levels may vary across time in real markets, the effects of high and low uncertainty regarding the subsidy level were also investigated. The results showed that subsidies, whether known and fixed or uncertain and varying, did not erode competition but nevertheless led to higher prices, which resulted in fewer sales. In the control condition a price war resulting in decreasing prices and increasing sales were observed. Several ways in which the proposed subsidy system may be implemented in the transport sector and other sectors are discussed. It is suggested that subsidies may make the adjustment process toward sustainable production less costly for the regulated parties. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Transport and environment: policy directions for europeENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2001Robert Tinch Transport externalities are among the most important environmental problems affecting quality of life in Europe. Forecasts suggest that past environmental improvements may now be rolled back by traffic growth, and current traffic trends are not sustainable. The theory of environmental policy proposes pricing external costs at their marginal social costs as one solution. Although full marginal social cost pricing is impracticable, advances in tolling technology and environmental valuation mean that it is now a viable option to approximate such charging. There are signs that the European Commission and other bodies are starting to favour pricing over regulatory instruments. However, often overlooked is the potential for non-convexities in the transport sector or between transport and the rest of the economy. For example it may be that small increases in resources for public transport would not result in welfare gains, whereas large increases would. Non-convexities would mean that market forces under marginal social cost pricing might lead away from the optimal transport system. This is one reason why pricing instruments cannot in themselves be a panacea for transport externalities or bring about a sustainable transport system. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [source] Implications of system expansion for the assessment of well-to-wheel CO2 emissions from biomass-based transportationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 13 2010Elisabeth Wetterlund Abstract In this paper we show the effects of expanding the system when evaluating well-to-wheel (WTW) CO2 emissions for biomass-based transportation, to include the systems surrounding the biomass conversion system. Four different cases are considered: DME via black liquor gasification (BLG), methanol via gasification of solid biomass, lignocellulosic ethanol and electricity from a biomass integrated gasification combined cycle (BIGCC) used in a battery-powered electric vehicle (BPEV). All four cases are considered with as well as without carbon capture and storage (CCS). System expansion is used consistently for all flows. The results are compared with results from a conventional WTW study that only uses system expansion for certain co-product flows. It is shown that when expanding the system, biomass-based transportation does not necessarily contribute to decreased CO2 emissions and the results from this study in general indicate considerably lower CO2 mitigation potential than do the results from the conventional study used for comparison. It is shown that of particular importance are assumptions regarding future biomass use, as by expanding the system, future competition for biomass feedstock can be taken into account by assuming an alternative biomass usage. Assumptions regarding other surrounding systems, such as the transportation and the electricity systems are also shown to be of significance. Of the four studied cases without CCS, BIGCC with the electricity used in a BPEV is the only case that consistently shows a potential for CO2 reduction when alternative use of biomass is considered. Inclusion of CCS is not a guarantee for achieving CO2 reduction, and in general the system effects are equivalent or larger than the effects of CCS. DME from BLG generally shows the highest CO2 emission reduction potential for the biofuel cases. However, neither of these options for biomass-based transportation can alone meet the needs of the transport sector. Therefore, a broader palette of solutions, including different production routes, different fuels and possibly also CCS, will be needed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] In situ off-farm work in the transport industry among oil palm smallholders in Sabah: Negotiating the borders of licit and illegal activitiesASIA PACIFIC VIEWPOINT, Issue 1 2009Fadzilah Majid Cooke Abstract This paper examines the informal transport sector within the smallholder oil palm economies of Kinabatangan and Lahad Datu areas of eastern Sabah by looking at the metaphoric border that is constructed between licit and illegal activities that take place on roads. It describes the work of two groups of drivers, namely, those who are themselves smallholders who provide a crucial service to the community in getting their fresh fruit bunches to mills on time; and the piret (pirate) taxis who transport passengers including foreign nationals, some of whom are illegal workers. Many have been driving for some time, thereby challenging the notion about off-farm work as providing a temporary safety net to smallholders. Drivers whose permits may be current may have used illegal means (such as meminggir , logging without licence), to accumulate the initial funds for acquiring their vehicles and necessary permits. Moreover, their clients are unconcerned about their ,illegal' status. Consequently, this paper maintains that there is no agreed-upon norms about legality/illegality, and law enforcement being uneven, the zone in which drivers operate is a fluid one. [source] Deregulation, Competitive Pressures and the Emergence of IntermodalismAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 3 2002Sophia Everett Deregulation has dramatically altered the face of Australian industry and associated services throughout the last decade or so. In the transport sector, in particular, changes have been significant and deregulation has led to pervasive changes in market structure, to the actual ownership of infrastructure and to a shift in strategic focus from a public utility to one of commercial viability and market orientation. Competitive pressures in the transport sector as a result of deregulation have meant that traditional public sector organisations such as railways and ports have been transformed. A major impact of these developments has been that transport operators, in an endeavour either to maintain or capture market share, have been forced to restructure and refocus and, in the face of growing competition, have been forced to reinvent themselves and move increasingly towards the provision of an integrated intermodal service. Rail operators are now no longer simple linehaul operators in container or bulk freight markets but have become market,focused third,party service providers of a range of integrated functions. [source] | ||||||||||