During January 16-17, 2003, the World Bank, through the Clean Air Initiative, and the World Resources Institute (WRI) organized "Diesel Days" to discuss emission control options for diesel vehicles in cities.
Diesel engines are used extensively in transportation, especially in public transportation and heavy-duty applications due to their power, durability, and efficiency, can be significant sources of air pollution. However, diesel combustion is a significant source of urban air pollution (e.g., fine particulates) that are harmful to human health --- action is needed to reduce the negative impacts of the existing diesel vehicle fleet.
The first day, at WRI, focused on what can be done with diesel exhaust and emissions in large urban areas, and the potential of cleaner technologies and fuels. For information on the agenda and proceedings of the Diesel Day 1: "From Wells to Wellness: Why the Concern about Diesel Emissions in Urban Areas? What to do?", please email Lee Schipper at Schipper@Wri.Org.
The second day, at the World Bank, aimed to respond to issues and challenges that developing countries face in addressing emissions from in-use diesel vehicles and to provide a broader perspective of the different policy and technical options within which solutions can be found.
Background
This workshop's main objective was to address issues that developing country decision makers face when planning and implementing measures to reduce air pollution from motor vehicles. A large amount comes from diesel vehicles, particularly buses and commercial vehicles. While new cars and increasingly two-wheelers have undergone much scrutiny and improvement in the last decade, heavy-duty diesel vehicles have been passed over. Even where progress has been made with new vehicles, the problems of low quality fuels and the long life of diesel vehicles in the stock (often more than 20 years for busses and trucks) makes addressing emissions from these vehicles a particular challenge.
A lot can be done to reduce in-use diesel vehicle emissions reduction programs. While many measures address fuels, engines, and driver behavior, measures that improve the utilization of vehicles and improve traffic must also be considered. This workshop will address both the motivations and the kinds of measures possible, based on actual recent experience on a wide scale as well as experiments or even calculations that point to other possibilities.
The presentation and discussions focused on strategic issues and viable solutions that decision makers should consider (eg. environmental effectiveness, costs, regulatory and policy requirements, specific examples of application).
Target Group
Decision makers that fall into three groups: actual government and private decision makers in developing countries; World Bank Project Managers and Specialists; Manufacturers of fuels, vehicles, and related equipment.
For further information please contact Jitu Shah and/or Paul Procee at jshah@worldbank.org and/or pprocee@worldbank.org.
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