Running to Stand Still

In this article, the author reviews the problem of air pollution in South Africa's big cities and considers how global efforts to reduce air pollution will affect the way South Africans travel. Transportation, including road, rail, air, and sea, produces 11% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced in South Africa; other emitters are electricity generation, mining, and industry. The author contends that some sectors need to be reconsidered in terms of their air pollution contributions, as the country continues to develop. These sectors include long-haul cargo freighting, public transport (including buses and taxis), and private passenger cars. The government has published a document that calls for making immediate moves toward more efficient vehicles and driving behavior, to get more people using public transportation, to promote non-motorized transport (NMT), and to move freight operations from road to rail. The author briefly explores each of these options and their application in the short-term, medium-term, and long-term settings. One sidebar reviews the definition of climate change and outlines its potential impact on the coastline of Africa; another describes the December 2009 world climate meeting in Copenhagen.