Regulating the flow of second-hand cars to developing countries is a crucial, but largely ignored, piece of the transport and development puzzle. If left unchecked, it could see rich economies “exporting pollution” to developing ones, urban transport experts say.
While electric, driverless and connected cars are creating a buzz in the development sector — as was shown at the recent Transforming Transportation conference held in Washington, D.C. — poor people in developing countries are far more likely to own a gas-belching second-hand car than an electric one.
In fact, the majority of African countries import far more used cars than they do new ones: 99 percent of all cars imported to Kenya are second hand, mainly shipped from Japan and Europe, according to United Nations Environment Programme figures. These cars offer an affordable way for people living in developing countries to become mobile, which studies show leads to increases in gross domestic product.