Ingenieur Vol. 74 Ingenieur Vol 72, April-June 2018 | Page 81

Rules of the Sea
Shipping has been used to transport goods since ancient times . Today , over 50,000 merchant ships trade internationally , transporting every kind of cargo . Without them , we simply could not have the level of import and export of affordable goods that make up our modern economy and lifestyle . The International Maritime Organisation ( IMO ) is responsible for regulating international shipping , including limiting emissions and reducing the impact on the marine environment . The ISO committee on ships and marine technology ( ISO / TC 8 ) co-operates closely with the IMO to ensure that its standards respect and contribute to meeting IMO ’ s regulations .
WORLD BANK
Transport is a crucial driver of economic and social development , bringing opportunities for the poor and enabling economies to be more competitive . Transport infrastructure connects people to jobs , education , and health services ; it enables the supply of goods and services around the world ; and allows people to interact and generate the knowledge and solutions that foster longterm growth . Rural roads , for example , can help prevent maternal deaths through timely access to childbirth-related care , boost girls ’ enrolment in school , and increase and diversify farmers ’ income by connecting them to markets .
The sector is crucial to reducing poverty , boosting prosperity , and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals , as transport is at the heart of critical development challenges :
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Climate change : Transport accounts for about 64 % of global oil consumption , 27 % of all energy use , and 23 % of the world ’ s energy-related CO 2 emissions . With motorisation rates on the rise , the environmental impact of the sector is expected to grow dramatically .
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Rapid urbanisation and motorisation : Cities will be home to some 5.4 billion residents by 2050 , equivalent to two-thirds of the projected global population . The number of vehicles on the road will double to reach two billion by 2050 .
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Accessibility and affordability : An estimated one billion people in low-income countries still lack access to an all-weather road . In many cities , time lost to congestion erodes prosperity . High mobility costs cut the disposable income of the poor who often lack reliable and affordable public transportation .
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Road safety : More than 1.25 million people are killed and up to 50 million are injured on the world ’ s roads every year . Low and middle income countries account for 90 % of the deaths although they own just half of the world ’ s motor vehicles .
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Air pollution : Pollution from motorised road transport has been associated with a wide range of health conditions , including cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases . Each year , almost 185,000 deaths can be directly attributed to pollution from vehicles .
WALL STREET JOURNAL - Tim Higgins
Self-driving cars could mean better public transit , more green space and less congestion , but also more urban sprawl and greater inequality .
But , even as they acknowledge the promise , others see possible problems . They warn that robot cars could encourage greater urban sprawl and cut into funding for public transit , widening the divide between the haves and have-nots . And driverless cars won ’ t be replacing all humandriven cars overnight , meaning an awkward mix of robots and humans sharing roadways .
Smarter public transportation
Some urban planners envision integrating autonomous cars with existing public transit , making the whole system more flexible and responsive .
A likely starting place is on-call robot taxis married with smartphone apps that let users plan the most efficient routes across town . For instance , a commuter might check the app and see that the quickest path is taking a rental bike to the train station , riding for 20 minutes , and then finishing up with a robot taxi for the final two miles to the destination .
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