Mobility at a Price: Motor Vehicles and the Environment in South and South East Asia

This chapter analyses the environmental impact of vehicle use in South and South East Asia and the range of policy responses available to reduce this impact. The countries of South and South East Asia are very disparate in terms of economic development. Over the last three decades these countries have experienced growing urbanisation and affluence, although this growth has been unevenly distributed, both spatially and over time. While levels of car ownership remain generally low compared to Western Europe or North America, high rates of growth of traffic in cities have led to congestion on roads and environmental damage from atmospheric pollution, noise and land use impacts.