Sustainable Mobility in China and its Implications for Emerging Economies

Abstract

The Journal of Sustainable Mobility Volume 2 Issue 1 June 2015 © Greenleaf Publishing 2015 driven by rapid economic growth and urbanisation, China’s transport sector underwent profound changes over recent years, with mass motorisation as one of its major characteristics. China’s vehicle stock grew from 16 million in 2000 to 154 million in 2014, implying an annual growth rate of 17.5%, which is comparable to the highest growth rates of developed countries during the same historical period (National Bureau of Statistics, 2014). The rapid growth of vehicle ownership raises concerns over several issues, including urban traffic congestion, energy security, air pollution and climate change. In Beijing, vehicles were responsible for 31.1% of PM2.5 emissions from local sources, topping any other single source (Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, 2014). China’s transportassociated CO2 emissions accounted for about 8% of total CO2 emissions from fuel combustion in 2011, and is increasing faster than any other sectors (IEA, 2013). Recent research suggests that energy consumption and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions from China’s transport sector are likely to keep increasing through 2030 (Development Research Center of the State Council, 2009). How to establish a sustainable mobility system is one of the greatest challenges China faces. From a scientific research perspective, there is an urgent need to understand the underlying reasons and dynamics behind changes in China’s transport sector, identifying key challenges and opportunities in addressing the emerging issues, and developing strategies and roadmaps to achieve the target of sustainable mobility (Zhang and Yazdani, 2014). In this special issue of the Journal of Sustainable Mobility, we have included four original research articles, which address the above-mentioned issues Guest Editorial