A certain level of mobility creates benefits for economic and social development, however the current trends in the transport sector in Asia are unsustainable. Having the second largest vehicle fleet in Asia just after China, ASEAN already faces serious problems including congestion, fossil fuel consumption, air pollution and road safety. In addition transport in ASEAN is significant contributor to global CO2 emissions, which is expected to rise by 5% annually in the business-as-usual scenario.
Sustainable transport policies can counter all these worrying trends if strong action is taken urgently. This is acknowledged in local, national and international transport strategies. For example, referring to sustainability concerns including climate change, the ASEAN Strategic Transport action Plan 2011-2015 sets out to “establish a sustainable, energy efficient and environmentally-friendly transport system”. There are large synergies between local sustainability and global problems, particularly if local pollutants such as black carbon can be reduced, which could be the second largest contributor to climate change after CO2.
The strategies to achieve a more sustainable transport system can be based on the avoid shift-improve approach, which stipulates that policies to limit GHG emissions in the transport sector will have to consist of a combination of measures aimed at: (a) Avoiding the need to travel, e.g. by improved urban planning or road pricing, (b) Shifting travel to the most efficient mode, which in most cases will be either non-motorized or public transport; and (c) Improving existing forms of transport through technological improvements to make engines more energy efficient and fuels less carbon intensive.
