Narendra Singru of ADB's Independent Evaluation Department discusses how carbon emissions could be quantified for transport sector projects in future as a step towards low carbon growth path.
Reducing Carbon Emissions from Transport Projects
Completed July 2010
As the key development partner in Asia, ADB needs to explore opportunities to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (or carbon emissions) and attract eligible funds for low carbon initiatives. This evaluation knowledge brief provides new tools to measure how different transport projects funded by ADB affect carbon emissions and offers suggestions to reduce ADB’s transportation sector carbon footprint. The tools developed through this study can be used in conjunction with other economic analysis tools that take into account costs and benefits of specific types of transport services and their development impacts.
Sustainable economic development is likely to remain a key driver for ADB’s projects in the transport sector. This study makes recommendations that would enable a shift in ADB’s funding from less sustainable transport projects, such as conventional road expansion, to more innovative low carbon strategies that better support sustainable development.
Key Findings
This study quantifies the gross carbon emissions from the construction and operations of ADB-funded transport projects approved between 2000 and 2009. It also identifies carbon intensity indicators linked to outputs, mobility, and investment, which can be used to track future performance. The main findings of the study were:
Expressway projects were found to increase CO2 emissions over their 20-year lifetime compared with business as usual because of effects on induced travel that overwhelm the short term benefits of curbing low-efficiency congested traffic.
Rural road and road rehabilitation projects were found to have a neutral or slightly reducing effect on CO2 emissions compared with business as usual. These improved the efficiency of traffic flow and reduced low-speed high carbon intensity travel.
Public transport investments and railway improvements, while generating new CO2, more than offset those emissions when they divert passenger and freight movements from higher carbon modes and improve the efficiency of traffic flows.
Investments that reduce CO2 tend to reduce air pollution and public health problems linked to transportation, while investments that boost CO2 tend to also boost air pollution and public health problems. Integrated transport investments that focus on both demand- and supply-side strategies, including operations and demand management, yield greater co-benefits for mobility, CO2, and pollution.
Recommendations
Below are recommendations for ADB Management’s consideration and pilot testing over the next two years:
Adopt carbon emissions as a consideration for project design, review, and appraisal.
Encourage modal shift in ADB investments.
Consider systematic indicators to monitor the intensity of carbon emissions from transport investments in alignment with the emphasis given in Strategy 2020 to climate change issues.
In partnership with developing member country governments, align ADB’s sustainable transport initiatives with nationally appropriate mitigation actions.
Tools of the Evaluation
This study has developed quantitative tools for assessing and analyzing carbon emissions and air pollutant emissions of transport projects funded by ADB.
Model 1: Rural Roads and Highways Project [ Excel: 3,398kb ]
This model can be used for roads located in rural areas, which are typically two-lane single carriageways designed to expand existing capacity in the non-urban context, costing $0.5 million–$1 million per kilometer (km). It can also be used for rehabilitated roads that are either one-lane or two-lane single carriageways projects designed to improve pavement surface, costing less than $0.5 million per km.
Model 2: Urban Roads Project [ Excel: 1,646kb ]
This model can be used for roads located in urban areas, which will typically witness high growth in traffic after completion, referred to as induced traffic in this study.
Model 3: Nonmotorized Transport (Bikeways) Project [ Excel: 508kb ]
This model is suitable for bikeways or similar urban nonmotorized transport systems that provide mobility through improved infrastructure.
Model 4: Expressways Project [ Excel: 3,402kb ]
This model can be used for expressways projects that are four-lane intercity dual carriageways costing more than $1 million per km. It incorporates induced traffic, as mentioned in this study.
Model 6: Urban Transport—Bus Rapid Transit System [ Excel: 2,963kb ]
This model can be used for bus rapid transit systems involving a combination of public transport system and traffic management.
Model 7: Railways Project [ Excel: 585kb ]
This model can be used for railway projects that are intercity freight and passenger transport systems.
Sectors and Themes 
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