Seabed Negotiations: The Failure of United States Policy

The fifth and most recent session of the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sa (UNCLOS) was, as were previous sessions, unable to produce a solution to the deadlock over deep seabed mining. The tentative steps toward accommodation developed during the fourth UNCLOS session were brushed aside, and polarization again characterized the proceedings. As a result of this stalemate, strong pressure will grow within the United States Congress to abstain from further international negotiations and instead to esbalish a domestic regulatory system for deep-seabed mining

Individual Carbon Emissions: The Low-Hanging Fruit

The individual and household sector generates roughly 30 to 40 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and is a potential source of prompt and large emissions reductions. Yet the assumption that only extensive government regulation will generate substantial reductions from the sector is a barrier to change, particularly in a political environment hostile to regulation. This Article demonstrates that prompt and large reductions can be achieved without relying predominantly on regulatory measures. The Article identifies seven low-hanging fruit: actions that have the potential to achieve large reductions at less than half the cost of the leading current federal legislation, require limited up-front government expenditures, generate net savings for the individual, and do not confront other barriers. The seven actions discussed in this Article not only meet these criteria, but also will generate roughly 150 million tons in emissions reductions and several billion dollars in net social savings. The Article concludes that the actions identified here are only a beginning, and it identifies changes that will be necessary by policymakers and academicians if these and other low-hanging fruit are to be picked

Interface design considerations for an in-vehicle eco-driving assistance system

This high-fidelity driving simulator study used a paired comparison design to investigate the effectiveness of 12 potential eco-driving interfaces. Previous work has demonstrated fuel economy improvements through the provision of in-vehicle eco-driving guidance using a visual or haptic interface. This study uses an eco-driving assistance system that advises the driver of the most fuel efficient accelerator pedal angle, in real time. Assistance was provided to drivers through a visual dashboard display, a multimodal visual dashboard and auditory tone combination, or a haptic accelerator pedal. The style of advice delivery was varied within each modality. The effectiveness of the eco-driving guidance was assessed via subjective feedback, and objectively through the pedal angle error between system-requested and participant-selected accelerator pedal angle. Comparisons amongst the six haptic systems suggest that drivers are guided best by a force feedback system, where a driver experiences a step change in force applied against their foot when they accelerate inefficiently. Subjective impressions also identified this system as more effective than a stiffness feedback system involving a more gradual change in pedal feedback. For interfaces with a visual component, drivers produced smaller pedal errors with an in-vehicle visual display containing second order information on the required rate of change of pedal angle, in addition to current fuel economy information. This was supported by subjective feedback. The presence of complementary audio alerts improved eco-driving performance and reduced visual distraction from the roadway. The results of this study can inform the further development of an in-vehicle assistance system that supports ‘green’ driving

How I reduce fuel consumption: An experimental study on mental models of eco-driving

Eco-driving has the potential to reduce fuel consumption and therefore emissions considerably. Previous research suggests that drivers have a certain level of eco-driving knowledge and skills, which they refrain from practising in their everyday lives. At the same time misconceptions and ambiguous messages from eco-driving support systems can confuse and demotivate. This research aimed to identify the mental models of eco-driving that regular drivers have. A driving simulator experiment with a varied road layout comprising urban and motorway sections was designed. The study used simple driving task instructions to investigate changes in the participants’ behaviour and thoughts in three conditions. Sixteen drivers were asked to ‘Drive normally’, ‘Drive safely’ or ‘Drive fuel-efficiently’. Behavioural measures, think aloud protocols and interviews were compared and analysed. The emphasis of this study was on eco-driving relevant indicators such as accelerating, braking, coasting and car-following. The results show that the participants do have mental models of eco-driving, which they did not use in the Baseline drive, when they were instructed to ‘Drive normally’. Misconceptions about speed and travel time provide the potential for more effective communication with the driver about the momentary efficient speed as well as resulting time losses and fuel savings. In addition, in-vehicle guidance can increase driving safety compared to practicing eco-driving without them

Driver adherence to recommendations from support systems improves if the systems explain why they are given: a simulator study

This paper presents a large-scale simulator study on driver adherence to recommendations given by driver support systems, specifically eco-driving support and navigation support. 123 participants took part in this study, and drove a vehicle simulator through a pre-defined environment for a duration of approximately 10 min. Depending on the experimental condition, participants were either given no eco-driving recommendations, or a system whose provided support was either basic (recommendations were given in the form of an icon displayed in a manner that simulates a heads-up display) or informative (the system additionally displayed a line of text justifying its recommendations). A navigation system that likewise provided either basic or informative support, depending on the condition, was also provided. Effects are measured in terms of estimated simulated fuel savings as well as engine braking/coasting behaviour and gear change efficiency. Results indicate improvements in all variables. In particular, participants who had the support of an eco-driving system spent a significantly higher proportion of the time coasting. Participants also changed gears at lower engine RPM when using an eco-driving support system, and significantly more so when the system provided justifications. Overall, the results support the notion that providing reasons why a support system puts forward a certain recommendation improves adherence to it over mere presentation of the recommendation. Finally, results indicate that participants’ driving style was less eco-friendly if the navigation system provided justifications but the eco-system did not. This may be due to participants considering the two systems as one whole rather than separate entities with individual merits. This has implications for how to design and evaluate a given driver support system since its effectiveness may depend on the performance of other systems in the vehicle

The activation of eco-driving mental models: can text messages prime drivers to use their existing knowledge and skills?

Eco-driving campaigns have traditionally assumed that drivers lack the necessary knowledge and skills and that this is something that needs rectifying. Therefore, many support systems have been designed to closely guide drivers and fine-tune their proficiency. However, research suggests that drivers already possess a substantial amount of the necessary knowledge and skills regarding eco-driving. In previous studies, participants used these effectively when they were explicitly asked to drive fuel-efficiently. In contrast, they used their safe driving skills when they were instructed to drive as they would normally. Hence, it is assumed that many drivers choose not to engage purposefully in eco-driving in their everyday lives. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of simple, periodic text messages (nine messages in 2 weeks) on drivers’ eco- and safe driving performance. It was hypothesised that provision of eco-driving primes and advice would encourage the activation of their eco-driving mental models and that comparable safety primes increase driving safety. For this purpose, a driving simulator experiment was conducted. All participants performed a pre-test drive and were then randomly divided into four groups, which received different interventions. For a period of 2 weeks, one group received text messages with eco-driving primes and another group received safety primes. A third group received advice messages on how to eco-drive. The fourth group were instructed by the experimenter to drive fuel-efficiently, immediately before driving, with no text message intervention. A post-test drive measured behavioural changes in scenarios deemed relevant to eco- and safe driving. The results suggest that the eco-driving prime and advice text messages did not have the desired effect. In comparison, asking drivers to drive fuel-efficiently led to eco-driving behaviours. These outcomes demonstrate the difficulty in changing ingrained habits. Future research is needed to strengthen such messages or activate existing knowledge and skills in other ways, so driver behaviour can be changed in cost-efficient ways

Old habits die hard? The fragility of eco-driving mental models and why green driving behaviour is difficult to sustain

Tangible incentives, training and feedback systems have been shown to reduce drivers’ fuel consumption in several studies. However, the effects of such tools are often short-lived or dependent on continuous cues. Several studies found that many drivers already possess eco-driving mental models, and are able to activate them, for instance when an experimenter asks them to “drive fuel-efficiently”. However, it is unclear how sustainable mental models are. The aim of the current study was to investigate the resilience of drivers’ eco-driving mental models following engagement with a workload task, implemented as a simplified version of the Twenty Questions Task (TQT). Would drivers revert to ‘everyday’ driving behaviours following exposure to heightened workload? A driving simulator experiment was conducted whereby 15 participants first performed a baseline drive, and then in a second session were prompted to drive fuel-efficiently. In each drive, the participants drove with and without completing the TQT. The results of two-way ANOVAs and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests support that they drive more slowly and keep a more stable speed when asked to eco-drive. However, it appears that drivers fell back into ‘everyday’ habits over time, and after the workload task, but these effects cannot be clearly isolated from each other. Driving and the workload task possibly invoked unrelated thoughts, causing eco-driving mental models to be deactivated. Future research is needed to explore ways to activate existing knowledge and skills and to use reminders at regular intervals, so new driver behaviours can be proceduralised and automatised and thus changed sustainably

APEC and the environment : civil society in an age of globalization

For more about the East-West Center, see http://www.eastwestcenter.org/The continuation of Asia's economic development and improvement in living standards is dependent upon addressing its worsening environmental problems. While the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is not ideally structured to deal with Asia's urgent environmental problems, it can take an important step toward improving prospects for Asia's environment by bringing civil society, specifically nongovernmental groups for the environment, into APEC deliberations. This can be done by including members of environmental organizations in: (1) APEC working groups and through the creation of an APEC Civil Society Advisory Council; (2) a new APEC Commission for Environmental Cooperation; and (3) policy dialog forums where contentious issues such as the environment-trade nexus are addressed. While none of these suggestions requires any basic changes to APEC's structure, they do call for tolerance, even encouragement, of a more open and collaborative APEC dialog. These changes are not only necessary for environmental improvement, but also for ensuring that liberalized trade and investment stay on course