World Business Council for Sustainable Development – Sustainable Mobility Group
In 2000, Ford joined with auto companies DaimlerChrysler, GM, Honda, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen; tire maker Michelin; and energy companies BP, Norsk Hydro and Shell to form the Sustainable Mobility Project of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). In July 2004, the WBCSD released a report entitled Mobility 2030: Meeting the Challenges of Sustainability. This report is based on four years of work by the sponsoring companies, the WBCSD, academics and stakeholder forums examining future trends in mobility globally and identifying strategies that might make transport more sustainable. The study's authors reached the sobering conclusion that, "The present system of mobility is not sustainable, nor is it likely to become so if present trends continue." The report identifies seven societal goals regarding mobility:
- Reduce conventional emissions from transport so that they do not constitute a significant public health concern anywhere in the world
- Limit greenhouse gas emissions from transport to sustainable levels
- Reduce significantly the number of transport-related deaths and injuries worldwide
- Reduce transport-related noise
- Mitigate traffic congestion
- Narrow mobility divides that exist within all countries and between the richest and poorest countries
- Improve mobility opportunities for the general populations in developed and developing societies
Since the release of this report, Ford has continued to work with the WBCSD and other Sustainable Mobility group team members to raise awareness of the importance of mobility as a drive for economic development, the need to close the "mobility divide" and the need for mobility solutions for rapidly growing cities in the developing world.
World Resources Institute/EMBARQ Istanbul
The EMBARQ Istanbul project, which began in July 2006, is designed to reduce vehicle emissions and traffic congestion in Istanbul, Turkey. The project is a collaborative effort between EMBARQ and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. The Istanbul projects are supported by EMBARQ's global strategic partners, the Shell Foundation and Caterpillar Foundation, with additional project support from Ford Motor Company, BP and Shell.
EMBARQ is the World Resources Institute's Center for Sustainable Transport. EMBARQ fosters government–business–civil society partnerships whose members are committed to solving transportation-related problems. It identifies, tests, evaluates and implements financially, socially and environmentally sound solutions to local transport concerns within a three- to five-year time horizon.
Istanbul provides fertile ground for exploring the mobility opportunities and challenges of growing cities in developing countries. As with many developing mega-cities, large numbers of people from surrounding rural areas are moving to Istanbul in search of work. As a result, the number of vehicles in Istanbul is increasing by 600 a day, polluting the air and snarling traffic. People often spend hours in their cars getting to and from work, even when their total driving distance is significantly shorter than the average commute in developed countries.
Last year, as the first step of the Clean Fuels Clean Vehicles Project, EMBARQ conducted the field work for the Istanbul emissions inventory to quantify Istanbul's transport-based emissions and identify key pollutants and their sources. This work included the direct, real-time measurement of emissions as vehicles drove in city traffic; development of the Istanbul Drive Cycle to describe traffic flow in the city; and the development of an emissions model for Istanbul. The next step in the project will be to develop a series of emissions-reduction scenarios based on input from transportation providers, industry representatives, government officials and NGOs. These scenarios will include powertrain technologies, fuels, transport and air quality policies, and transport-related behavioral changes among the public. Each scenario will be tested in the emissions model and the most effective emissions-reduction scenarios will be implemented as a series of pilot projects.
EMBARQ is also developing a conceptual model for a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system corridor for Istanbul. BRT buses run in dedicated corridors, attracting tens of thousands of riders per hour. EMBARQ will also attempt to build community support for sustainable transport through public outreach.
The EMBARQ Istanbul project is expected to provide Ford Motor Company with valuable insight into the mobility challenges unique to the urban environment and the roles we might play to address them.
Global Road Safety Initiative
Several companies that participated in the WBCSD project – including Ford, General Motors, Honda, Michelin, Renault, Shell and Toyota – launched the Global Road Safety Initiative in 2004. The purpose of the initiative is to transfer best practices, with the objective of reducing accidents and building capacity in developing countries to manage road safety. Projects include educational outreach to increase rates of seat belt and helmet usage, and training aimed at improving roadway design.
The first focus of the initiative is China, where both the number and rate of traffic accidents are high and growing. The participating companies have pledged $1 million each over five years to fund projects in China, Brazil and countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The projects are being implemented through the Global Road Safety Partnership, an existing organization founded by partners including the World Bank and national governmental aid organizations. Ford is taking an active role in the Partnership through chairing the Executive Committee as well as involvement in project execution. The projects will rely on delivery through local organizations to build local capacity, so that those organizations can continue their work in a sustainable fashion long after the projects are completed. See Ingrid Skogsmo for more information.
Sustainable Mobility and Acessibility Research Transformation (SMART)
Ford and the University of Michigan are leading a project to address the challenges of meeting future mobility and accessibility needs in an ecologically sound and socially sustainable manner.
SMART takes a unique systems approach to understanding and transforming the future of urban mobility and accessibility, including energy, carbon dioxide, livable communities, congestion, urban sprawl and others. Moving beyond the technical fix alone, it "connects the dots," bringing together the various disciplines and sectors, the players, the theoretical approaches and the practical applications required to tackle urban transportation's growing complexity, sophistication, impacts and opportunities. See Susan Zielinski for more information.
SMART concentrates in four main research and action areas:
- Systems-based analysis and solution building
- Accessibility-based planning and policy making
- Sustainability: environmental, social and economic
- New mobility markets: identifying and developing new markets and business models
Co-sponsored by Ford, the National Science Foundation and the University of Michigan's Center for Advancing Research and Solutions for Society, the initiative includes on-the-ground projects, graduate seminars, senior executive programs, workshops, a speaker series and faculty research projects focusing on complexity, mobility and sustainability. Three dozen University of Michigan professors, deans and external scholars are participating.
The project is devoted to an open-minded exploration of potential sustainable mobility concepts that might emerge in practice in the future. This includes consideration of new powertrain technologies, greater integration of public and private transportation, changes in urban planning and development, and concomitant changes in transportation systems.
Prince of Wales Business and Poverty Program
Ford has participated in the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum for seven years. This Forum was set up in 1990 by The Prince of Wales and a group of chief executives of international companies, in response to the emerging challenges of economic growth and change in the global economy. Its mission is to promote responsible business leadership and partnerships for social, economic and environmentally sustainable international development, particularly in new and emerging market economies. Ford has participated in several Prince of Wales events, including their Business and Environment and Business and Poverty programs. Through these forums, Ford leaders have gained a better understanding of global sustainable development issues and the variety of perspectives on the role of corporations in contributing to sustainability.
