Survey predicts 3000% rise in vehicles from 2015 to 2050
At 17.41%, the transport sector is the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Mumbai
Mumbai is likely to witness a 3000% rise in the number of vehicles and a 706% leap in CO2 emissions by 2050 as against 2015, according to an international study. Authorities need to focus on better policies, integrated land use and transport planning to tackle the crisis, the report states.
Transport in Mumbai will emit 4 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030, states the study by inter-governmental organisation International Transport Forum (ITF) — carried out under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) — on urban motorisation in India. However, with the rapid rise in the number of vehicles, Mumbai crossed this mark in 2015.
“Coastal cities such as Mumbai and Chennai are in serious trouble. In Mumbai, greenhouse gas emissions — especially from the transport sector — are alarming. Steps to mitigate CO2 emissions should be taken immediately, otherwise the sea-level will rise and submerge coastal cities,” said Ramachandra TV, research scientist at Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
With an average occupancy of 40%, public transport is still a popular and low-cost commuting option for many in India.
According to the sector-wise assessment of carbon footprints across major Indian cities, transport sector generated 4 million tonnes of CO2 last year. Of this, more than 3 million tonnes were generated by road transport, which includes compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles.
At 17.41%, the transport sector is the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Mumbai, just below the domestic sector that generates 37.20% of GHG emissions.
“We need restrictions on private vehicle ownership. Investing in public transport such as railways, buses, sharing taxis and autos should be made a priority. We have been trying to push for congestion fees on the use of private cars in metropolitan cities for the past decade. The cost of such vehicles and their maintenance fees should be increased. The revenue generated from this should be used to finance public transport, based on the road space they use,” said Rakesh Kumar, director, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
“Decreasing the travel time of public transport, providing real-time information to users and improving overall efficiency will encourage the shift from private vehicles to public transport, as opposed to only viewing it as a low-cost travel option,” the report concludes.
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