By Aida Sevilla Mendoza
Inquirer
RACING is not the only concern of the Federation Internationale de líAutomobile (FIA) although it makes and implements rules for motor sports worldwide including Formula One, the World Rally Championship, Le Mans, the Dakar Rally and the Race of Champions.
The FIA is also concerned about the clamor for dramatic action to stop global warming which is the subject of the ongoing Climate Change Conference in Bali attended by delegates from nearly 190 nations. Although automobiles today are cleaner and more fuel-efficient as a result of improvements in technology and fuels that reduce both toxic emissions and the quantity of carbon dioxide emitted per vehicle, the FIA knows that the development and deployment of cleaner and more fuel-efficient technologies is the key to future mobility as demand for automobile use rises worldwide.
Target
Last October, the FIA general assembly tackled the global problem of climate change and called on the United Nations to adopt the first-ever worldwide target for carbon dioxide emissions in passenger cars, 140 g/km as part of a new international framework for greener motoring. This could serve as an international target that all can aspire to, the FIA noted, adding that the benchmark would provide a way of measuring progress of the entire automotive fleet worldwide.
Although only about 10 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are attributable to road transport, this level is gradually increasing in all regions of the world. Currently there are 600 million motor vehicles in use around the world and this number is forecast to double by 2020 with the fastest growth of motorization occurring in emerging economies such as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China).
While emission control technologies such as the catalyst and filters are reducing the automobile’s impact on ambient air quality, the challenge remains to encourage global application of these technologies, especially in newly motorizing countries where urban air pollution adversely affects public health.
Responsible mobility
On the other hand, although the FIA and its member clubs have for many years supported responsible mobility and promoted cleaner, less carbon-intensive and more fuel-efficient motoring, the FIA contends that policies and measures to improve air quality, mitigate climate change and promote fuel economy must always be cost-effective and shared by all emission sources. It would be both unfair and ineffective to concentrate policy action on a single sector such as road transport while ignoring other sources of toxic or GHG emissions such as livestock, which is estimated to account for 18 percent of total GHG emissions measured in carbon dioxide equivalent.
To achieve further progress in improving air quality and promoting fuel economy, action is required in three main areas:
1. Promoting new vehicle, fuel and component technologies;
2. Improving road network design and management;
3. Incentives and information to promote greener automotive technologies, driving and mobility choices by the consumer.
Cost-effective
Regarding the first main area, the FIA general assembly recommended that industry, in partnership with government, continue to invest in cost-effective low carbon and cleaner automotive technologies across a range of vehicle characteristics, including aerodynamics, combustion efficiency, drive trains, driver information devices, energy recovery and hybrids, rolling resistance and weight.
Mutually supportive product development in improved quality and alternative fuels is required including natural gas and bio-fuels, the FIA said, provided that the latter can become more cost-effective and will not harm biodiversity and global food production. “As these technology innovations come to market, governments should adopt policies that encourage the use of a wider mix of power and fuel systems to enhance consumer choice and gradually reduce excessive dependence on fossil fuels,” the FIA declared.
In the third main area, the FIA general assembly recommended that governments work together with automobile clubs to support a comprehensive program of consumer information encouraging responsible mobility and the purchase of clean, less carbon-intensive vehicles, fuels and components which will not just benefit the environment but also reduce the cost of motoring. To provide accurate and independent information about the environmental performance of automotive-related products, the FIA proposes Eco-labeling and Eco-testing.
Eco-driving
The FIA also recommends the development of training programs to encourage fuel-efficient driving and the integration of such courses into driver licensing and safety training schemes. “Eco-driving” can be supported by the intro of on-board driver info devices such as econometers and gear shift indicators to aid the driver in sustaining more fuel-efficient behavior and thereby reduce motoring costs.
Corollary to all these, FIA member clubs are now tasked to promote a “Make Cars Green” awareness campaign and a 10-point Guide for Greener Motoring. As the only FIA member club in this country, the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) assumes a new challenge.
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TODAY’S BUMPER STICKER: Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else get your way.
