3. Growing Environmental Problems
The increase in the amount of carbon dioxide - a cause of global warming
- emitted by vehicles of transport, mostly by automobiles, has been consistently
rising in recent years. The 1998 level increased 21% on that of 1990,
and the target value3
of restriction to a 17% increase in emissions by 2010 has already been
exceeded.
Also, the degree of success in achieving target levels for air and noise
pollution in major cities is still low, and automobile-related pollution
is becoming increasingly serious, with such issues as the Amagasaki pollution
case and regulations regarding diesel vehicles in major cities drawing
public attention.
For this reason, there is an urgent need to develop measures appropriate
for each individual automobile as well as implementing a transport system
with a low environmental impact.4 |
