Photo by Roderick Maclean.

In 2005, EMBARQ and Istanbul’s Directorate General of Environmental Protection launched an ambitious initiative to reduce air pollution in the city. For both EMBARQ and the Istanbul government, reducing transport emissions is an important goal because they negatively impact public health and contribute to global climate change.

The first step of this multiphase project was an emissions inventory conducted in the fall of 2006, during which EMBARQ and the Istanbul government gathered data on the types of vehicles in the city, measured the amount and type of pollutants they emit, and identified the most polluting vehicles on Istanbul’s streets.

By completing the emissions inventory, EMBARQ provided Istanbul policymakers with hard data showing the connection between transport and the city’s air pollution problem. This information has in turn aided efforts by EMBARQ and the city to identify cost-effective ways to reduce air pollution.