[Richard Gilbert, coauthor with Anthony Perl of the new book Transport Revolutions, also wrote the report Hamilton: The Electric City at the behest of the City of Hamilton, Ontario. EXCERPT: read the whole article here. -Ed.]

by Barbara Yaffe

"The world is starting to be affected by the twin challenges of climate change and peak oil, but many involved in transportation planning are looking the other way."

"Toronto urban planner Richard Gilbert cites a new forecast by the International Air Transport Association. It projects a $4.5 billion [CDN] industry-wide net profit for 2008. But that's predicated on oil priced at $86 per barrel.

"Oil was $105 per barrel last month. On that basis, IATA's projected profit becomes a 2008 loss of nearly $30 billion -- much higher than the last recorded loss, in 2002, of $11.3 billion.

"And consider, most observers believe oil will go beyond $105."

"Anthony Perl, a Simon Fraser University urban studies professor ... considers developments like the Pacific Gateway Strategy to be folly. It's counterproductive, he warns, to keep building infrastructure for traditional transit modes that are reliant on ever-more-costly oil resources.

"Governments and transit authorities need to recognize, given the energy crunch, they're wasting tax dollars by plowing cash into airport and road expansion projects."

Photo credit: madmolecule