Sustainable Transport
ADB is helping countries change their transport investment patterns and secure a low-carbon, sustainable transport future
| Challenge | Transport contributes about a quarter of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. It is also responsible for a range of negative impacts, including traffic congestion, road accidents, premature deaths and ill health from pollution. |
| Strategy | ADB will support sustainable transport initiatives in Asia and the Pacific to facilitate economic development and energy security while mitigating transport’s negative impacts. |
| Response | ADB’s Sustainable Transport Initiative (STI) promotes investments in low-carbon, safe, and affordable transport systems. STI is helping develop inclusive, clean, and energy-efficient transport projects in developing member countries and provides ongoing assistance to develop sustainable transport policies. |
Effective and sustainable transport systems are prerequisites for sustainable economic growth. Developing these systems requires systematic initiatives that prioritize movement of people and goods to meet economic, social, and developmental requirements. Creating such initiatives will require more holistic and systematic approaches that put greater focus on environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
Making sustainable transport a top priority
Over the decades, ADB has fully supported the role of transport as an important component of poverty reduction and economic development. We have implemented many successful lending and nonlending technical assistance programs in transport.
More recently, our agenda is giving increasing attention to emerging issues such as climate change, increases in traffic congestion, and the necessity of transport access for all. Addressing these issues will be key to promoting the economic opportunity and good governance necessary for achieving United Nations Millennium Development Goals in a sustainable manner.
The significant extent of our support is reflected in ADB’s transport operations, which comprise nearly 24% of total ADB lending. Our pipeline lending in transport is equally noteworthy—an average of $5.8 billion per year identified for the period 2009 and 2011.
Providing solutions through STI
ADB has actively promoted energy-efficient and sustainable transport in the region through our technical assistance and capacity building programs. STI’s principal accomplishments include
Policy implications for low-carbon transport measuring, monitoring, and visioning techniques for Asia’s developing member countries. An ADB study, Breaking the Trend—Visioning and Backcasting for Transport in India and Delhi, considers the transport sector’s role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions in Asia and tests the applicability of backcasting methodology to evaluate transport policies and their impacts on greenhouse gas emissions.
Promoting environmentally sustainable transport in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Dramatic growth in the PRC poses particular challenges. This comprehensive report analyzes key issues affecting the development of the country’s transport sector and recommends a new target-oriented approach that places energy efficiency, environment, and health at the top of the policy agenda for transport and related sectors at all levels.
Sustainable urban transport. ADB has completed urban-transport case studies for five pilot cities (Changzhou, Colombo, Dhaka, Harbin, and Kathmandu). We have identified important constraints to and elements required for sustainable urban transport systems in each city, and have refined the concepts of project selection criteria in each government’s plan to ensure the orientation of a given project is sustainable.
Development framework for sustainable urban transport. ADB has prepared a region-level strategic development framework for sustainable transport. The work defines a new paradigm for urban transport development and rules of engagement for sustainable transport solutions and services.
The Asian City Transport—Promoting Sustainable Urban Transport in Asia Project. In 2009, ADB is implementing a new technical assistance to help develop pilot energy-efficient and inclusive urban transport projects in selected cities. The work will also support the lead role ADB is taking among multilateral development banks regarding climate change in the transport sector.
Going Forward. Sustainable transport will play a vital role in the region’s future. And thanks to STI, ADB is uniquely positioned to drive the future of transport forward to a low-carbon path that ensures inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
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