Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
3
'That is the Law. How could there be a mistake in that?' 'I don't know this Law,' said K. 'All the
worse for you,' replied the warder. 'And it probably exists nowhere but in your own head,' said K.;
he wanted, in some way, to enter into the thoughts of the warders and twist them to his own advantage
or else try to acclimatise himself to them. But the warder merely said in a discouraging voice: 'You'll
come up against it yet.' Franz interrupted: 'See, Willem, he admits that he doesn't know the Law
and yet he claims he's innocent.' 'You're quite right, but you'll never make a man like that see
reason,' replied the other.
(Franz Kafka,
The Trial
, 1925, pp. 12-13)
London is used as our first case study and provides a good example of a progressive policy
approach to reducing transport CO2 emissions, building on an extensive experience of
developing the city based around a multimodal public transport system. Over the years some
very effective transport projects and initiatives have been developed. Yet, at the same time,
relatively high private car usage, mainly in Outer London, highlights the significant challenges
faced in responding in a meaningful manner to climate change. The UK itself is a modern
industrialised country, with a fairly stable population at just over 60 million, a high GDP
per capita at US$35,000, with some recent decline due to the economic meltdown. The level
of motorisation is relatively high at 517 vehicles per 1,000 population, but less than that of
the United States at 675 vehicles/1,000. Energy use and CO2 emissions per capita are also
relatively high, depending on the comparator used (9 tons per capita in the UK, relative to
20 tons per capita in the US, and 5 tons per capita globally) (
Table 3.1
).
Within London, the city authorities - Transport for London (TfL) and the Greater London
Authority (GLA) - are developing broad-ranging strategies for sustainable transport, urban
planning and climate change. The city can build on an already extensive public transport
network and compact, polycentric urban form. The London Underground is the oldest in the
world, celebrating 150 years in existence in 2013, hence there is a long history of investment
in sustainable transport. The GLA has developed cross-sectoral CO2 emission reduction
strategies, with significant investment and implementation in the transport sector. The strategic
aim is to develop a 'model' sustainable city that can combine population growth (largely high
levels of in-migration) with economic prosperity, social equity, and at the same time reduce
adverse environmental impacts.
This chapter draws on work carried out in the Visioning and Backcasting for Transport in
transport CO2 emission reductions in London, developing a baseline and projections for
