Page - 57 - in Water, Energy, and Environment - A Primer

Transportation also plays a critical role in development: without adequate access to transportation ‘…poor countries cannot provide for their own basic needs, much less contribute their share of world production; and they cannot help prepare for the additional two billion people coming before 2025 (31).’ The reality is, that on a planet where nations have become increasingly interdependent, only a few are affluent and highly mobile,while themajority lackadequate resources andmobility. As stated in 2016byBanKi-moon, thenUNSecretary-General, to the first ever Global Sustainable Transport Conference: ‘… the transport sector has a human side and we should all be concerned about people who do not have the access they deserve (32).’ Some interesting facts about global transportation: • Currently there are about 1.3 billion light-duty vehicles on the road. The US, with less than 5% of the world’s population, accounts for about 20%of these vehicles. • OECD countries consume just over half of the world’s total transportation energy, and non-OECD countries, where 80% of the world’s population lives, should catch upby2020 (seeFigure 5.5) (33). • Petroleum and other liquid fuels provide over 90% of transportation energy today, with non-OECD demand exceeding that of OECD countries. Motor gasoline remains the largest transportation fuel throughout this projectionperiod. • Passengerorpersonalvehiclestodayaccountforabout60% of transportation energy consumption, with light-duty vehicles accounting for 44%, followed by aircraft at 11%. Freight accounts for the remaining 39% (see Figure 5.6) (34). • About4billionpassengers are carriedannuallybyairlines, which release approximately 2% of human-induced CO2 emissions.Road transport releasesmuchmore. Energyoptions 57