Disruptive Innovation on Two Wheels: Chinese Urban Transportation and Electrification of the Humble Bike

This communication argues that the electrification of the conventional bicycle could perhaps be a solution to the issues surrounding urban transportation in emerging economies. As illustrated through the trajectory of E-Bike development and adoption in China, such innovations can be disruptive when implemented in untapped mass markets of the developing world. A historical as well as prospective lens was adopted to describe the socio-economic significance of E-bike expansion in China. Further, by simultaneously considering the current Chinese urban transport mix, the primary energy use in transport as well as projections of future E-Bikes sales, it is also asserted that that, although the E-Bike is not an entirely sustainable solution to urban transport; it however is a solution that has the potential to achieve high sustainability. The realization of any environmental co-benefits due to the adoption of the E-Bike hinges primarily upon the adoption of improvements in other sectors of the economy (electricity generation). Indeed, the E-Bike does exemplify that grass-root, inexpensive and sustainable solutions to our urban transportation problems do exist

How does finance impact the environment? : a systematic literature review of state-of-the-art knowledge

Financial systems have been expanding globally for many years, while their negative impact on the environment is becoming increasingly evident. Meanwhile, prevailing frameworks to examine the relationship between finance and the environment fail to account for risks financial systems pose to the environment (finance-to-environment risks). Therefore, financial institutions and markets, in turn, fail to account for finance-to-environment risks despite aims to do so. Thus, an enhanced understanding of these risks is crucial to improving environmental quality. This thesis investigates what is known about the finance-to-environment risks by conducting a systematic literature review on the environmental impacts of financial systems. The findings indicate that financial systems pose environmental risks through two main groups of mechanisms. First, financial systems pose risks to the environment through their functions to the overall economies and the improvement or worsening in performing these functions. Second, financial systems also pose risks to the environment through (a) economic growth, (b) foreign direct investment inflows, (c) technological innovation, and (d) energy consumption. While these mechanisms represent opportunities to alleviate environmental harm, most prevailing global trends of these mechanisms are to exacerbate environmental harm. This article uncovers knowledge gaps in the finance-to-environment literature and proposes three criteria to bridge these knowledge gaps: future research should (1) incorporate the multidimensionality of financial systems, (2) include aspects of inflows from and outflows to the biosphere, and (3) discuss both options of financial system reconfiguration and transformation. Bridging these knowledge gaps will help future research develop sound policy recommendations for enhanced environmental quality.M-IE

Accelerating New Mobility Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies

With global greenhouse gas emissions exceeding 380 PPM1, commute times in emerging market megacities often taking more than four hours2, and air pollution causing over two million deaths worldwide annually3, policymakers and business leaders are looking for ways to mitigate the environmental and human health impacts of automotive transportation. The rapid increase in mobile technology and internet access have enabled entrepreneurs around the world to disrupt traditional government-run transportation systems by providing faster and cheaper movement of people primarily in cities. New mobility – defined as moving people, moving goods and moving less in ways that are cleaner, greener, safer, healthier, and more equitable – is an emerging field in the transportation sector where entrepreneurs are leveraging mobile technology to address these environmental and social problems. This research project sought to answer the following question: What enables new mobility entrepreneurs to successfully start and grow new ventures? It looked to understand the current state of new mobility and to provide a resource to accelerate entrepreneurship in the field. The team conducted more than 60 interviews in four markets – Brazil, India, China, and South Africa – and corroborated their on-the-ground insights through secondary research. A number of findings emerged from this primary and secondary research. First, urban transportation means different things in different places. Second, although common barriers such as corruption, funding availability, and regulatory bureaucracy exist, different markets approach entrepreneurship in different ways. Third, similar business models emerged in each country, but each business was implemented differently based on the legal, cultural, and infrastructural environment of the region. A detailed analysis of research findings is included in the Observations section. This research is relevant to both policymakers and entrepreneurs. Policymakers have historically separated transportation agencies by mode, but this has led to non-integrated systems with disjointed connection nodes and high multi-modal travel costs. By creating open communication channels between agencies, streamlining municipal-level payment systems, and providing funding and resources to entrepreneurs, policy makers can improve city transit. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, can be overly ambitious and think that their product is right for everyone. By focusing strategically on their customers, network, local context, and operational execution, entrepreneurs can improve their chances of success and create greater environmental and health impact. The team observed that the most successful startups had begun with a narrowly focused customer base in a small market that they knew. While the study targeted urban areas in four specific emerging economies (Brazil, India, China, and South Africa), the insights have applicability to other developing markets and to developed markets such as the United States. Leveraging these insights, the team developed A Guide to Success for New Mobility Startups to help early-stage new mobility entrepreneurs start and grow new ventures. The Guide is structured around a checklist of 20 questions that address the most common stumbling blocks this group of entrepreneurs face. Each question is supplemented with information that helps the entrepreneur develop an actionable answer. The combination of a simple checklist with thorough guidance, case studies, and additional resources is designed to help entrepreneurs stay motivated, focused, and effective amidst the emotional and financial volatility that comes with starting a new business. The tool is being integrated into the online UM-SMART MobiPlatform. For full text of the Guide, see Appendix A.Master of ScienceNatural Resources and EnvironmentNatural Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106553/1/Accelerating New Mobility Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies [2014.pd

Transportation strategies for a 1.5 °C world : a comparison of four countries

Decarbonizing transportation in emerging economies will be one of the key challenges in global climate change mitigation efforts. In this paper, pathways are developed towards achieving a 1.5° degree scenario for land-transport for four emerging economies (Brazil, India, Kenya and Vietnam). The aim is to highlight the key opportunities and challenges for low-carbon transport in countries with rapidly growing mobility demand. The main focus of this paper is to reconcile actual and required emission reduction targets and develop plausible pathways to achieve these targets. The paper also identifies potential strategies and measures for these countries to follow these pathways. The analysis considers the contributions of "avoid" (cutting travel growth), "shift" (to lower CO2 modes) and "improve" (vehicle and fuel CO2 characteristics) interventions to decarbonisation scenarios. These scenarios aim to inform renewed Nationally Determined Contributions and shed light on the feasibility of deep decarbonisation pathways that would be in line with the Paris Agreement. Results from this study show that achieving 1.5DS would require dramatic changes in travel patterns, technology and fuels, and major intensification of current policy approaches. Decarbonization solutions will need to include greater use and investment of efficient modes, major shifts toward near-zero carbon fuels such as clean electricity, systems integration, modal shift and urban planning solutions. Although the socio-economic situations and national transport systems differ between the selected countries, some fairly similar strategies appear likely to be core to the mitigation effort, such as rapid growth in light- and heavy-duty vehicle electrification and investments in public transit systems