Air pollution from freight traffic significant and projected to grow says NACEC study

Cleaner diesel fuel will reduce some pollution along NAFTA trade corridors

The study focuses on pollutants in five transportation corridors: Vancouver-Seattle, Winnipeg-Fargo, Toronto-Detroit, San Antonio-Monterrey and Tucson-Hermosillo. In all cases, freight traffic has increased significantly since NAFTA came into force in 1994, and is projected to double or even quadruple over the next 20 years. Of particular concern are emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and particulate matter (PM₁₀).

The study, North American Trade and Transportation Corridors: Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Strategies, projects that by 2020, trade-related emissions of CO₂, a greenhouse gas, will increase by two to four times over current levels in the five corridors examined. At the same time, overall trade-related emissions of NO_x and PM₁₀ are anticipated to decline or stabilize at current levels, despite a projected increase in trade, as stricter standards for heavy duty truck engines and the use of low sulfur diesel fuel, planned for Canada and the US, come into effect. However, in corridors of high trade growth, NO_x and PM₁₀ emissions from rail freight traffic alone will increase 50 to 100 percent.

Winnipeg meeting seeks public input, Axworthy to speak

The report's findings will be considered in Winnipeg next week at a NACEC-sponsored meeting of officials from the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States, a variety of stakeholders, as well as transportation and environment experts from across North America. The one-day workshop will launch discussions and receive public comment that should help identify solutions to this growing environmental problem. Lloyd Axworthy, the Director of the Liu Centre for the Study of Global Issues at the University of British Columbia, and former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, will deliver the keynote address to the meeting Thursday at 9:00 a.m. (Hotel Fort Garry, Winnipeg, Manitoba).

The public is also welcome to participate in a meeting of NACEC's Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) that will take place at the same location on the following day (16 March). JPAC is a voluntary, trinational body that gathers public input and develops advice to NACEC's Council, the organization's governing body, which is composed of the environment ministers of the three NAFTA countries.

Participant registration for both days is free, on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration forms and the agenda for the workshop may be found on the NACEC web site: <http://www.cec.org/jpac>. The completed registration forms should be returned to Jocelyne Morin, who can be contacted at >, or (514) 350-4300.

For media inquiries, please contact Christine Larson (until 14 March) at (514) 350-4331, >, or at the Hotel Fort Garry, 222 Broadway Ave. in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, at (204) 942-8251 (15-16 March).

Web locations for further information:

• The study North American Trade and Transportation Corridors: Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Strategies
• Map of North America showing five trade corridors: (found in the study)
• Article in NACEC's newsletter Trio, entitled Delivering the goods without damaging the environment
• NAFTA Transportation Corridors: Approaches to Assessing Environmental Impacts and Alternatives, a research paper presented at NACEC's symposium on the linkages between trade and environment (Washington, October 1999)

The Montreal-based NACEC was established by the North American Free Trade Agreement environmental side accord to build cooperation among Canada, Mexico and the United States in addressing environmental issues of common concern, with a particular focus on those that arise in the context of continent-wide free trade.