[sustran] New on EarthTrends: Transport Indicators

[Wendy Tao]

Apologies: The EarthTrends URL is  http://earthtrends.wri.org 

Dear Earth Trends Users and EMBARQ friends,

In today's cities, sustainable transportation systems are crucial to
fostering economic activity and raising standards of urban living.
Finding a transport model that meets society's need to move freely,
communicate, and gain access to jobs, education, hospitals, and other
facilities - all without sacrificing essential human or ecological
values - is thus a primary challenge of sustainable development. 

Transportation systems define the quality of life for millions of
city-dwellers worldwide. Unfortunately, the negative impacts of urban
transport, including hazardous levels of air pollution, congestion,
noise, sprawl, and threats to public safety, restrict the potential for
greater economic growth and happiness. The rise of megacities, with
populations over ten million, has only amplified these problems. Growth
rates of private vehicle ownership in the developing world continue to
soar, despite the fact that automobiles are major consumers of
non-renewable energy and major contributors to carbon emissions. These
trends underscore the need to find timely and environmentally
sustainable solutions to urban transport dilemmas. 

To help inform the discussion on transport issues, EarthTrends has
collaborated with EMBARQ, the WRI Center for Transport and the
Environment (http://www.embarq.org), to produce this month's update on
Sustainable Transportation. 

+++Two new feature articles have been added to the EarthTrends
collection. The first article, "Sustainable Cities, Sustainable
Transportation," explores public-private partnerships as a vehicle for
meeting the challenges of urban transport --- a strategy EMBARQ is
currently setting into motion with two megacities. The second article,
"Car Companies and Climate Change," compares the "carbon intensity" of
leading auto companies by measuring the carbon dioxide emissions
associated with their current sales and profits. 

+++This month, EarthTrends is also releasing its first data table with
city-level indicators. The table assembles statistics on modes of
transport, travel time to work, and public participation in transit
decisions for 180 cities around the globe, using data drawn from the
UNHabitat's Global Urban Indicators Database
(http://www.unhabitat.org/programmes/guo/guo_indicators.asp). 

+++In the Searchable Database, EarthTrends has incorporated a set of
country-level indicators on road networks, private vs. public transport
use, vehicle fleets, road traffic, and fuel prices, supplied by the
International Road Federation (http://www.irfnet.org) and the World Bank
(http://www.worldbank.org/data). 

+++Lastly, to guide you through EarthTrends' diverse transport-related
content, a Sustainable Transportation Information Guide
(http://earthtrends.wri.org/pdf_library/info_guides/transport_infoguide.pdf)
has been prepared. This document will help you find EarthTrends
information on carbon emissions from the transport and industry sectors,
energy and fossil fuel consumption patterns, urban demographics, and
more.

We hope you find these new resources relevant and useful. 

Thanks for your continuing support of EarthTrends!

Christian (clayke at wri.org), 
Amy (acassara at wri.org), 
Daniel (dprager at wri.org)
and Abby (amoy at wri.org)

March Updates
New Data Table 
(http://earthtrends.wri.org/datatables/index.cfm?theme=7)
Transportation: Selected City-Level Data

New Feature Stories
Sustainable Cities, Sustainable Transportation
(http://earthtrends.wri.org/conditions_trends/index.cfm?theme=4)
Car Companies and Climate Change: Measuring the Carbon Intensity of
Sales and Profits
(http://earthtrends.wri.org/conditions_trends/index.cfm?theme=5)

New Searchable Database Variables
(http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.cfm?theme=4)
Transportation: Total vehicles per km road
Transportation: Total Road Network
Transportation: Volume of public road transport
Transportation: Volume of private road transport
Transportation: Deaths due to road accidents
Transportation: Pump prices of super gasoline
Transportation: Pump prices of diesel fuel
Transportation: Road traffic (vehicle-kilometers)


Wendy Tao
EMBARQ, The WRI Center for Transport and the Environment
World Resources Institute
10 G Street, NE Suite 800
Washington, DC 20002
Shanghai mob: +86 1356 472 6044
(phone) 202.729.7649
(fax) 202.729.7798
www.embarq.org
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