Press-release
How much is enough?
The Gift of Creation and the Motorization of Mobility
Representatives of Churches ask for Sustainable Transport Policies.
Bad Boll/Geneve. May 2000
A one hour flight contributes to global warming as much as the whole daily mobility, labor and cooking activities of one person in Bangladesh
This was the conclusion of Dr. Manfred Treber, an expert
on air traffic from Germanwatch, during an international Conference of experts on "What kicks
the Church (es). Perspectives of Sustainable Transport Policies ", held 2-5 May 2000 in the
Protestant Academy Bad Boll, Germany.
Access to transport is crucial for people´s daily life. However nationally and internationally, it is very unjustly organized and financed. "Road infrastructure investments for motorized, mainly individual traffic, had been the leading transport policies in the last fifty years in the industrialized countries, and in the last 30 years in the bi-and multilateral development organizations and banks: 60 % of World-Banks transport- sector went to road-financing , while 40 percent of UNDP transport money ended in airport and habour constructions," stated Paul S. White from ITDP, New York, USA. The transportation needs of the poor had been neglected and structural adjustment programes of the IMF contributed to the degradation of the existing public transport systems and trains in the developing countries."The construction of a six lane highway from Kampala to Entebbe dislocated many farmers and cut up their traditional paths. To cross this new raod is very dangerous for them." explained Richard Kisamadu from Uganda. "The poor do not use this thorough face. They do not have a car. A bicycle is to expensive."
The bicycle, living spaces are marginalised by the dominating monoculture of cars, but could for many poor people generate income and self-sufficiency which would need more attention in infrastructure and development policies, as Rev. Kofi Amfo Akonnor from Ghana and Maria Guevara from Venezuela explained. In rich countries the bicycle and walking could replace the car for many short-distance activities, reopen space for living and contribute to better the air and to slow down climate change worldwide.
"In a small country such as Germany there is one car for every two persons, in India there is one car for every 455 people and in China one for every 1055" told Maurizio Salazar from Mexico. Roads are not only for cars, he continued, "40 % of the Mexican population earn their income through trading and selling on roads. Their safety and health is at stake by recognizing road- rights only for motorrized traffic". "Space, low speed, non-motorized, collective transportation, necessacities of pedestrians, bikers, children, elderly, disabled persons or road-sellers became marginalized in today's transport systems, reported Jutta Steigerwald, Director of the study program Perspectives of Sustainable Mobility Worldwide, "they are underdeveloped, underfinanced or out ranched."
The 23 representatives from Church and Lay organizations coming from 13 countries of West and East Europe, North and South America, from Africa and Asia, following the invitation of the World Council of Churches, Switzerland and the Protestant Academy in Bad Boll, Germany underlined the need of socially, environmentally and geographically suitable , low- energy transport-systems. Motorized traffic contributes in industrialized countries up to 70 percent of global warming, worldwide 23 percent. " If the worlds political and economic leader continues the one-sided financial investment in infrastructures for motorized vehicles on the road and for air traffic in national and international transport policies, satisfying the transport behavior of only 20 percent of world's population, the speed of climate change and the social division of the societies will sharply increase." agreed the participants of the Conference in Germany. " Tourism and leisure time industries, the fastest growing industry for the coming century, will increase the on-road, air and water traffic." explained Annette Groth, Tourism-Expert from Geneve. The project of globalization of the present economic policies will longer the distances between production units and consumer, between working place, shopping and home. We need to encounter this policies by infrastructure investment and transport behavior , which allow the industrialized countries to meet the goals of the Kyoto Protocol and the developing countries to improve transportation. The proposed guiding principles for sustainable transport policies:: Low energy consumption, diversification of transport, reducing waste of space and resources, minimize pollution effects.
The situation in the emerging economies in the Eastern European countries do not show a different picture: "Till 1989 there was not a very modern, but functioning public transport system", described Ilona Mazatkova from the Czech Republic, "since then we no longer have national transport plans. Instead, in the name of united Europe, 15.000 km new highways are planned and partly already under construction" Anne Ansehlm from Aseed Europe added, "10.000 km of high-speed trains are foreseen as well as new airport capacities for an 50 percent predicted increase on air traffic". "These plans seem a one way opening to the West. No bettering of communication ways and development between eastern European countries" described Dr. Janos Zlinsky from the Catholic University of Budapest, Hungary giving testimony of the resistance of people in the neighborhood of Budapest against one section of these new highways.
Dr. Carlos Dora, from the European WHO-office put the attention of the partecipants towards the loss of life through road traffic and the threat to human health through motorized traffic. "Annually in Europe there are about 120.000 death on the roads. A third under 25 years old. 80 000 people die of long term effects of air pollution through road traffic." The World-Bank gives the figures of 700.000 death worldwide due to road accidents, over 10 million remain injured. "Children, pedestrians and bike driver are the main victims. On the other hand, half an hour daily walking or biking reduces 30 percent the risk of heart disease, one of the high ranking disease in industrialized countries ", so the WHO representative. Dr. Dora leads the "Charta on Transport, Environment and Health in the WHO-European office in which European transport, environment and health ministers and high ranking diplomats express their concern on the impact of motorized traffic to the health of the people and to the environment.
"We request the Churches to make use of their ethical responsibility and apply a theology of mobility in daily practice and mission" expressed Jutta Steigerwald, director of the study project Perspectives Sustainable Mobility Worldwide" and Dr. Lukas Vischer, member of the Climate Change Working Group of the World Council of Churches. Christian as well as Christian institutions should contribute to transport behavior which reduce stress to nature but grantee access to transport, safety and health for all, particularly poor people, women, disabled, elderly and children.
Regarding the transport behavior of the Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD), there are many possibilities on how to contribute to sustainable mobility and to reduce costs for transport" explained the director of environmental programs of the Protestant Academy of Bad Boll. The EKD, together with the Diakony has 580.000 employees, 43.000 institutions and 18.000 congregations one of the biggest employers of Germany. Many km are traveled, many still by car. 100.000 Church-owned cars use about 100 million liters fuel, about 180 million DM. Introducing fuel-saving driving could lead to an annual savings of about 60 million DM, a lot of money to support poor people in the South for their transport needs. Further on an active contribution for transport-justice, to reduce global warming and to save energy and resources.
"We need a mobilization of the Churches for the Healing of Creation through Christian testimony and a new culture of mobility in any aspect of Christian life" declared Antonella Visintin from Italy and member of the Enabling Team of the Environmental Network of European Churches. She proposed that European Churches could take actively part in the European car-free cities campaign and practicize car-fasting; organize mobility-services in congregations, initiate car-sharing projects, give voice to the interest of the poor and the weak, make heard the voice of the public and of Creation. These parts which are not heard and respected in today's infrastructure and transport-projects.
Rome/Bad Boll, May 25, 2000.
Jutta Steigerwald
For further information as well as to send a copy of publication kindly requested to one of the listed addresses:
Jobst Kraus
Tel: +49-7164-79222
Fax: +49-7164-791235
e-mail: jobst.kraus@ev-akademie-boll.de
Jutta Steigerwald
Tel: +39-065895348
Fax:+49-7164-791235
e-mail: mobility@iol.it
Lukas Vischer
Tel: +41-22-7352979
Fax: +41-22-7352988
e-mail:l:vischer@bluewin.ch
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