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There are some wonderful advances in “parking lot technology,” (in addition to the use of manure and other attempts to make roads more environmentally friendly) but they really mask the greater issue. Vast tracks of land have been paved over and turned into storage for cars. In Natural Capitalism, Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and Hunter Lovins put the car in perspective. The amount of time we sit in cars is minute compared the resources we spend on them. While I can’t find the exact number, the average was somewhere around 4% of our time is spent commuting in cars. Think about the money, energy, and materials that go into cars. Leasing or purchasing a car on an installment plan can cost several hundreds per month. This doesn’t include insurance, upkeep, fuel, parking, or any other associated costs.

This brings me to the parking lot. We have now dedicated plots of land to store our cars while we work, shop, and go about our day. I realize that we have to keep them somewhere, but go on Google Earth and look at your local mega-mart. I’ve embedded the aerial (satellite) view of a certain large retailer below. Even in the map view, the parking lot is distinguishable by being a dark gray, pretty fitting I suppose.

What if that land were turned over for growing food? Even a portion of it? What if people who are unemployed were given the opportunity to tend the land and sell the bounty? I’m just throwing some ideas out there, but it is truly staggering to see the amount of land dedicated to parking lots. In fact, when I first clicked on the satellite option in Google Maps, I said “Holy Sh” well, you can imagine. Check it out for yourself below.

The amount of space that the lot(s) take up is unreal. In downtown, where space is at premium, there are more parking garages, but also an occasional lot that has trees offering shade and breaking up the vast expanses of pavement. That would be an improvement.

Next week’s post will follow a similar line of thought so check back on the parking lots’ more space friendly relative the parking garage.

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A while back we wrote about how the interstate system is like the high speed rail debate. Think about the amount of money that goes into maintaining roads. What if these funds were (or had been originally) directed to mass transit?

Would people be more inclined to ride light rail, subways, and buses if they offered wifi or some other benefits that driving can’t? We’ve discussed numerous times the benefits of public transportation (few of the choice posts on the topic can be found here and here).

What will it take? I look forward to your comments.

By the way, this post was written entirely on the light rail.

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Cities are not laid out with people in mind. They are designed for the car. Walking across 8 lanes of traffic to cross the street in 15 seconds may not be too challenging for able bodied individuals, but when I’m out walking, I see plenty of people who walk with devices to assist their mobility. With cars darting in and out of alleyways, parking lots, driveways, and side streets, it is clear that the sidewalk is an after thought, not a starting point. Cars are the center of the universe. Having grown up in LA, I’m painfully aware of the need for a car. However, when space is an issue, like Manhattan, cars are not king. Even in New York City though, there are plenty of multi-lane roads that impede the pedestrian. Tom Vanderbilt’s series on Slate.com takes a look at the role of the pedestrian in America. Here is the first in a four part series.

Enormous city blocks deter people from walking, as it takes an inordinate amount of time to travel from point A to B. Bikes are nice for these shorter distances, but unless there are clearly marked bike lanes, the casual bike rider will be largely dissuaded from riding. When a U.S. Senator’s spouse is closely linked to a lawsuit against a bike only lane, it is clear that cities (and I speak mostly of the U.S. since this is where I’ve seen this phenomenon), are not centered on the pedestrian or bicyclist. Vanderbilt points out that “There is not a single dollar in the U.S. federal transportation budget dedicated strictly to walking.”

Perhaps there is a future for non-automotive transportation. Carless cities in Europe like this one outside Freiburg, Germany show it is possible in this day and age. Narrower streets such as those found in New Urbanist towns (see here for an example) help slow vehicular traffic, but the layout of towns still separate commercial endeavors from residential locations making use of the car all but mandatory.

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This post was written by Akane Hanai, a UN Volunteer working in Viet Nam on the UN-REDD Programme as a Programme Specialist with a Master of Arts in Environmental and Resource Policy from George Washington University. 

It’s been almost eight months since I got  involved in the UN-REDD programme in Viet Nam.  For my first post, I introduced the definition of REDD+. In this posting, I’d like to explore the components of REDD+ in general. I will talk about actual implementation in Viet Nam in the next posting.

Reducing GHG emissions through afforestation and reforestation projects is being implemented under the scheme of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM; 日本語はこちら), which was defined in the Kyoto Protocol. REDD+ is also aiming for developing countries to generate carbon credits and invest this revenue in a low carbon economy with green growth at the end. However, while CDM projects are limited to using public funding and being deployed at the project level, the process of implementing REDD+ involves assistance from not only the private sector but also bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors to help developing countries build carbon offset mechanisms at the national level.

Moreover, REDD+ implementation would be beneficial not only for raising carbon credits and reducing emissions but also for improving sustainable forest management and solving various social issues rooted within the forest community such as poverty, land rights of ethnic minorities and gender equality among forest dependent people. The REDD+ concept needs to be understood by forest dependent people so as to get them to participate in forest protection activities. In order to acquire such peoples’ commitment, a robust Benefit Distribution System (BDS) should be designed with considerations of transparency, mechanisms for recourse, and equity.

Having a good Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system is also necessary for REDD+ to be successful. Once REL (Reference Emission Level; the predicted emissions level in the future without REDD+) is established, the project has to keep track of how much emissions could be reserved. Both satellite images and detailed information about land uses through ground activities would be combined to generate forest maps. Advanced technology for data accuracy and institutional capacity building to utilize these data are required at the same time.

The challenging thing for REDD+ is that negotiations and discussions about concrete guidelines for safeguards and methodology of BDS and MRV are still under development at the international level. Successful REDD+ implementation depends on countries’ willingness to establish a comprehensive network including relevant fields related to REDD+ nationwide, while maintaining some flexibility to adopt ongoing international agreements.

私がベトナムの国連REDD+プログラムに従事し始めてから、早８ヶ月が過ぎようとしている。本プログラムに関わる前に投稿した記事ではREDD+に関する定義を紹介したが、本投稿ではREDD+の概要、次回はベトナムでの実際の取り組み状況について紹介したい。

植林、再植林を通じた温暖化ガス削減は、京都議定書で定められているCDMプロジェクトスキームによって既に実施されている。REDD+も、最終的に炭素クレジットを生み出し、途上国の低炭素社会の実現を目指すという点ではCDMと共通している。しかし、CDMプロジェクトはODA(政府開発援助)といった公的資金の使用が制限され、プロジェクトレベルで実施されているのに対し、REDD+は民間資金に加え、二国間、多国間支援の下、途上国が国レベルで森林保護対策を実施し、排出権取引に向けた制度構築を目指している。

さらにREDD+の実施には、単に炭素クレジットを生み出し温暖化ガス排出を抑制するだけではなく、持続可能な森林保護、また多くの途上国の森林エリアにおいて課題となっている貧困、先住民の土地所有、ジェンダー等の社会問題解決に取り組むことが期待されている。REDD+の目的が正しく森林エリアの住民に理解され、森林保護の活動に参加してもらうこと、また継続的な活動を支えるための、透明性および公正性を保った利益分配システムの構築が必要不可欠である。

測定・報告・検証システムの確立も重要である。参照排出レベル(REDD+が実施されなかった場合の、想定される未来の排出量)を算出後、プロジェクトがどれだけ排出量を抑制できたかを測定する必要がある。その測定方法として、衛星からの映像と地上での詳細な土地利用のデータを統合して森林マップを作成する方法があるが、データの正確性を実現する最新の技術、データを扱う機関と人の能力強化が欠かせない。

REDD+を実施していく中で、MRV、BDS等に関する最終的な方法論がまだ国際的な合意に至っていないのも大きな課題である。今後REDD+実施を成功させていくためには、これから決定していく国際的な取り決めを取り入れつつ、REDD+に関わる様々な分野を巻き込んだ、国レベルでの包括的な組織作りが鍵となるであろう。