Vehicle Emissions Reduction

RETA 5937: Action Plans for Reducing Vehicle Emissions

Regional Technical Assistance (RETA)

ADB initiated RETA 5937 to provide a forum for countries to share experiences and strategies in reducing vehicle emissions, and to set up this web site to facilitate communication among stakeholders. The project began in November 2000.

• Collate and disseminate information on policies and actions that can be undertaken to reduce vehicle emissions
• Share experiences between countries in the region especially relating to the difficulties of implementing such policies and actions, and how they can be overcome
• Assist selected countries to develop action plans for reducing vehicle emissions
• Identify opportunities for public and private sector investments and actions for implementing such action plans

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• Regional Workshops on
  
  
  1. fuel quality and alternative fuels (New Delhi)
  2. reducing emissions from 2-3-wheeled vehicles (Hanoi)
  3. strengthening inspection and maintenance (Chongqing)
  4. transport planning, demand management and air quality (Manila)
  
  
  
• Concluding Workshop, which synthesizes the recommendations from the four regional workshops and presents the action plans
  
  
• Web site on country and city level experiences relating to the legal, policy, and institutional framework for reducing vehicle emissions
  
  
• Action Plans in four countries -- the People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, and Viet Nam -- that will include a set of measures for implementation and opportunities for investment

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ADB is financing the project on a grant basis from the Japan Special Fund, funded by the Government of Japan. The RETA is estimated at US$900,000 equivalent. The costs will cover international and domestic consulting services, regional workshops, establishment of this web site, and the preparation and publication of materials.

The United States-Asian Environmental Partnership (US-AEP), in conjunction with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), has agreed to provide additional support in the form of international resource speakers and workshop participants from countries in the region.

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Vehicles: Growing contributor to air pollution

Projects relating to air quality have often focused on reducing emissions from stationary sources such as factories and home heating.

Increasingly, however, attention has shifted to reducing emissions from motor vehicles.

Twenty percent of all vehicles in the world, some 140 million, are in the Asian and Pacific region. Several Asian countries manufacture vehicles, and the number of units produced is growing by 10-15% per year. The growth rate of motorization -- the number of vehicles and vehicle-km per head of population -- is also increasing in Asia. And the high proportion of 2- and 3-wheeled motor vehicles with 2-stroke engines makes matters worse.

Several factors affect the level of emissions from vehicles, including

• type and quality of fuels that are used
• emission control technologies installed during production
• vehicle maintenance practices
• age and rate of turnover of the vehicle fleet

While some countries have already taken steps to reduce the level of vehicle emissions, less attention has been paid to local area transport planning as a means of reducing vehicle use, such as

• promotion of the use of demand management techniques such as taxation or road pricing
• traffic management
• use of public transport and non-motorized modes of transport

Effective reductions in vehicle emissions require the harmonization of standards and enforcement regimes on a regional basis, in support of national policies. National policies need to be combined with local actions.

Though governments are responsible for the legal and regulatory framework, actual achievements in the reduction of air pollution depend upon changes in the behavior of individuals and firms. The private sector will need to invest in changing the supply mix of fuels and adapting to new vehicle production standards.

However, transport companies may be resistant to mandated changes in fuel prices, vehicle standards, and restrictions on vehicle use. Individual vehicle owners may be reluctant to change their travel habits.

As mobility increases, the consequences of inaction will become more severe. Sharing information on technologies, planning approaches, policies, and implementation experiences can help build a consensus in favor of change.

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1. For the People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia and Viet Nam

• in three of these four countries, a Regional Workshop was organized
• an action plan will be drawn up by a multisectoral team and assistance will be offered in the form of a domestic consultant to assist in the formulation of the action plan
• selected individuals will be invited to take part in the other regional workshops

• invited to contribute to and use this web site

• selected individuals were invited to take part in some or all of the regional workshops to make presentations on policies and actions related to reduction of vehicle emissions

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ADB's Regional and Sustainable Finance and Infrastructure Division (RSFI) is responsible for the overall coordination and day-to-day implementation of the project's activities.

The Project Team actively works with technical institutions, policy makers, advocacy groups, and commercial enterprises in DMCs to build awareness and support for the RETA outputs. The project team maintains contact with other multilateral and bilateral aid agencies helping to address air quality issues relating to the transport sector.

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