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THE FIVE PERCENT CHALLENGE, COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING (In brief)

 * * Working draft for peer review and comment of 17 July 2019

</b>The basic concept is simple in principle, namely: to identify and put to work a strategic package of proven, street-tested, cost-effective measures, tools and means  to reduce GHG emissions from the mobility sector in a cooperating city or place by a targeted five percent (or better) in a year or less. Realization of the concept on the other hand is highly demanding and requires considerable technical competence, abundant political savvy and leadership by daily example.

The underlying goal is highly ambitious, and perhaps not immediately evident.  It is about people and choices, and not so much about infrastructure or vehicles.  We are talking here about influencing behaviour of individuals and groups in this specific part of their day to day lives. Since indeed the only way that we can successfully make this critical transition in a functioning democracy — is no less than to change behaviour by creating a transformed urban (or rural, or other demographic) ecosystem of  connected realities, time, space, perceptions, awarenesses, values, fears, prejudices, habits and, hopefully in parallel with this an wide array of “better than car” or  at least satisficing mobility choices.  The key to all this being to offer what are perceived as better choices for all when it comes to daily life, climate, mobility, environment  and democracy impacts.  The challenge we now face is to accompany this transition, and this in the teeth of a rapidly degrading environment and still a largely skeptical world.

COMMENT: AND IF WE FAIL THIS FIRST TIME . . . ?

Zero emissions mobility at lunch time in a pedestrian street in Tokyo

From: 原佳代 <kayohara@itej.or.jp>
Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2019 5:05 AM
To: eric.britton@newmobility.org
Subject: RE: Next steps – Japan

Dear Eric,

. . . .  (Following extract from email  of 1 April 2019, letter in French with translations)

• En même temps j’ai bien évoqué que c’est aussi très important de ne pas avoir peur de rater : même si c’est tombé en échec, ça peut être le premier pas du lancement du projet, et bien ça peut être une trace de la vie.

• Now in Google Japanese » : 同時に失敗したとしても、プロジェクト立ち上げの最初のステップになることもあれば、痕跡になることもあります 人生の

• Or, why not, even in English : « At the same time it is also very important not to be afraid to fail: because even if it failed the first time, it could become the first step of launching a fully prepared demonstration project– and so, it is a first step to show the way.

Rapid cuts needed to protect billions of people from rising emissions due to increased use of cars and coal.

Global carbon emissions: 1960-2018

DEMOCRACY CAME LATE TO OUR STREETS (AKA, Drivers as Victims)

* Wanted: Curators, sentinels and contributors for World Streets “Drivers As Victims” Department.  Contact eric.britton@newmobility.org

Drivers as Victims

After a century of fearless and uncontested domination, peace and pandering, here we are in 2019 and to our great surprise as car/owner drivers around the planet suddenly find themselves in the midst of a raging process of transition to a very different world of privilege and limitation, laws and enforcement, economics and free rides. And unsurprisingly in their own eyes they see themselves as victims: having their territory limited step by step to ever-growing parts of the city-scape where they have long been uncontested kings and queens.