CNG Policy in Foreign Nations
Compressed Natural Gas in India
As of July 1, 2014 the population of India was ranked the second most populous country with 1,267,401,849 people. India’s population has contributed to an increase in greenhouse gases (GHG’s) and other pollutants in the local and regional atmosphere. Every year, three thousand children die in Delhi, the nation’s capital, due to complications related to poor air quality. In recognition of this, India’s Supreme Court issued a ruling in 1998 which mandated that the city of Delhi convert public transportation fleets to utilize compressed natural gas (CNG) rather than gasoline or diesel fuels.
Compressed Natural Gas in India
As of July 1, 2014 the population of India was ranked the second most populous country with 1,267,401,849 people. India’s population has contributed to an increase in greenhouse gases (GHG’s) and other pollutants in the local and regional atmosphere. Every year, three thousand children die in Delhi, the nation’s capital, due to complications related to poor air quality. In recognition of this, India’s Supreme Court issued a ruling in 1998 which mandated that the city of Delhi convert public transportation fleets to utilize compressed natural gas (CNG) rather than gasoline or diesel fuels.
In four years the Indian Supreme Court mandate, that all auto rickshaws, buses, and taxis must use compressed natural gas, had completed the transition to a compressed natural gas fleet. While the retrofitted bus fleet had a measurable impact on local air quality, the auto rickshaws’ engines, which were already poorly designed, were not improved, and thus caused no positive impact on air quality.
This highlights the necessity of ensuring any engine technology running on any fossil fuel needs to be perfected so that complete combustion can occur in order to see any significant impact on the climate. Failure to do so would doom any policy due to lack of concern about the environment. In fact, using more methane as transportation fuel may actually harm efforts to improve air quality and reduce harmful greenhouse gases.
India’s progressive shift towards CNG has been damaged by the sheer increase of cars on the road, which is likely directly correlated with India’s booming population. Positive impacts have been nullified, and PM10 particulate matter (particles that reach 10 micrometers in size) in Delhi are twice what they are in Beijing, China (Gopinathan).
India’s Centre for Science and Environment has petitioned the Supreme Court to impose an excise tax on diesel in order to account for externalities like pollution emitted by vehicles running on diesel as well as a plan to increase registration costs for diesel vehicles. This encourages the use of public transportation, something that the state of Texas desperately needs.
Delhi’s METRO was the first rail system in the world to earn carbon credits as a reward for displacing traffic. However, like the United States, India has shown a lack of political will that has crippled the growth of at least cleaner fossil fuels if not completely renewable energy sources. The excise tax was recently slashed by the Finance Minister prior to the May general election for political capital, risking a return of congestion and pollution in the name of political gains. This could prove disastrous for India, as Delhi was recently rated the worst in air quality.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is responsible for rating the most polluted cities in the world, and 13 of these were located in India ("Delhi air worst in the world - The Times of India"). Delhi alone has 15 times the safe standards listed by the WHO for PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter), which can lead to major health issues because they are small enough to be inhaled deeply into the lungs. India has begun a new tracking program for eight major pollutants in response, but these figures have yet to be published.
This highlights the necessity of ensuring any engine technology running on any fossil fuel needs to be perfected so that complete combustion can occur in order to see any significant impact on the climate. Failure to do so would doom any policy due to lack of concern about the environment. In fact, using more methane as transportation fuel may actually harm efforts to improve air quality and reduce harmful greenhouse gases.
India’s progressive shift towards CNG has been damaged by the sheer increase of cars on the road, which is likely directly correlated with India’s booming population. Positive impacts have been nullified, and PM10 particulate matter (particles that reach 10 micrometers in size) in Delhi are twice what they are in Beijing, China (Gopinathan).
India’s Centre for Science and Environment has petitioned the Supreme Court to impose an excise tax on diesel in order to account for externalities like pollution emitted by vehicles running on diesel as well as a plan to increase registration costs for diesel vehicles. This encourages the use of public transportation, something that the state of Texas desperately needs.
Delhi’s METRO was the first rail system in the world to earn carbon credits as a reward for displacing traffic. However, like the United States, India has shown a lack of political will that has crippled the growth of at least cleaner fossil fuels if not completely renewable energy sources. The excise tax was recently slashed by the Finance Minister prior to the May general election for political capital, risking a return of congestion and pollution in the name of political gains. This could prove disastrous for India, as Delhi was recently rated the worst in air quality.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is responsible for rating the most polluted cities in the world, and 13 of these were located in India ("Delhi air worst in the world - The Times of India"). Delhi alone has 15 times the safe standards listed by the WHO for PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter), which can lead to major health issues because they are small enough to be inhaled deeply into the lungs. India has begun a new tracking program for eight major pollutants in response, but these figures have yet to be published.
Compressed Natural Gas in Iran
Arguably one of the most comprehensive, and devoted CNG policies, has been developed by Iran. Not surprisingly, Iran has one of largest natural gas infrastructures in the world, with filling stations covering more than 560 cities and 3,226 villages around the country. Since the beginning of the shift to CNG, Iran has also appeared to meet international standards, European regulations, and standards set by individual nations with a historical interest in CNG. Iran has devoted much research to CNG projects, designed to improve CNG performance, such as dedicated systems, bi-fuel systems, and dual fuel engines. Research has also been focused on fuel conservation, vehicle durability, and studies on gas compositions, and their corresponding effects on engine performance. The national government and car manufacturers have been the largest producers of such research studies. Iran has also established the Iranian Fuel Conservation Organization, or IFCO, a governmental organization that is responsible for managing improvements to CNG and balancing between cost, conservation efforts, and environmental impacts of natural gas as it displaces old, less sustainable technology.
Arguably one of the most comprehensive, and devoted CNG policies, has been developed by Iran. Not surprisingly, Iran has one of largest natural gas infrastructures in the world, with filling stations covering more than 560 cities and 3,226 villages around the country. Since the beginning of the shift to CNG, Iran has also appeared to meet international standards, European regulations, and standards set by individual nations with a historical interest in CNG. Iran has devoted much research to CNG projects, designed to improve CNG performance, such as dedicated systems, bi-fuel systems, and dual fuel engines. Research has also been focused on fuel conservation, vehicle durability, and studies on gas compositions, and their corresponding effects on engine performance. The national government and car manufacturers have been the largest producers of such research studies. Iran has also established the Iranian Fuel Conservation Organization, or IFCO, a governmental organization that is responsible for managing improvements to CNG and balancing between cost, conservation efforts, and environmental impacts of natural gas as it displaces old, less sustainable technology.
Gopinathan, Narayan. "India's Air Pollution Woes | BERC." BERC. Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative, 24 Feb. 2014. Web. 12 May 2015. http://berc.berkeley.edu/indias-air-pollution-woes/.
"Iran | NGV Global Knowledgebase." NGV Global Knowledgebase. 3 Sept. 2006. Web. 12 May 2015. http://www.iangv.org/category/country/iran/.
"Iran | NGV Global Knowledgebase." NGV Global Knowledgebase. 3 Sept. 2006. Web. 12 May 2015. http://www.iangv.org/category/country/iran/.