Urban Transport in the OIC Megacities
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The lack of an effective policy framework and the rapid motorization levels have contributed to the
hazardous levels of air pollution in many developing world megacities. Although the modal share of
private cars remains lower than that of the developed world megacities, it has multiple impacts on the
population’s health and vulnerability, particularly in the megacities of South Asia. Over 90% of air
pollution in cities in developing countries is attributed to vehicle emissions brought about by high
number of older vehicles coupled with poor vehicle maintenance, inadequate infrastructure and low
fuel quality. It is noted that motorized transport has a circular impact on health, physical activity,
safety and eventually increasing motorization as it renders any other transport mode a non-viable
solution.
There are encouraging signals that urban populations of developing countries will be active partners
in positive change. Health driven environmental concerns are today most keenly felt among urban
dwellers in low income countries. For example, 24% of Chinese respondents believe that the
environment and climate change are the most important problem facing the world compared to less
than 2% in the USA. Cities are often cosmopolitan and built around trade, increasing awareness of
globalization and interconnectivity. Many cities now work together directly, both nationally and
internationally, to address sustainability issues. Such partnerships are likely to grow as the common
interests of urban populations in protecting the local and global environment become more apparent
(Campbell-Lendrum and Corvalan, 2007).
3.10. Climate Change
3.10.1. Introduction
Climate change is one of the major global challenges, and greenhouse gas (GHG)7 emissions from
transport are a key contributor to this. Although the Earth has experienced changing climate since the
beginning of time, during the last century, anthropogenic activity has threatened significant climate
change over a relatively short time period. Global warming is caused by the accumulation of key GHG
in the atmosphere resulting from continuous combustion of fossil fuels and changes in land use over
the 20th century. The impacts of anthropogenic activity on climate are now evident as the rate and
magnitude of warming due to GHG is directly comparable to actual observed increases of temperature.
The exact extent of climate change is unknown. The Emissions Scenarios report published by the IPCC
in 2000, predicts that for six different emission scenarios on the increase of CO2 emissions, global
average temperatures could increase between 1.4 and 5.8˚C. Furthermore, the radiative forcing
experienced from CO2 today is a result of emissions during the last 100 years. It is this inertia that
means that some impacts of anthropogenic climate change may yet remain undetected and will ensure
that global warming will continue for decades after stabilisation (Chapman, 2007; Nakicenovic and
Swart, 2000).
The majority of the world’s megacities are located on the coast or along major rivers, as they are old
cities and historical centres of trade. These locations are now vulnerable to flooding caused by storms
and high winds, and accentuated by global warming and rising sea levels. There are 40 million, or 10%
of their total population, that are exposed to a 1 in 100 year coastal flood event, a number which is
expected to rise to 150 million in 2070. However, the vulnerability levels of different cities are
different. Developed world megacities are more exposed in terms of assets while developing world
megacities are exposed in terms of population (Banister, 2011).
About 40% of the overall transport emissions are generated in cities, not only by passenger transport
but also freight and commercial transport, aviation and maritime transport. The impact of transport
on the global climate is not limited to vehicle emissions as the production and distribution of fuel from
oil, a ‘wells to wheels’ approach, produces significant amounts of greenhouse gas in itself. For example,
7Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases. The most significant greenhouse gases are water vapour (H2O),
carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N 2O).