Transport and greenhouse gas emissions

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative analysis of transportation-driven GHG emissions as well as a set of mitigation measures in four mid-sized Argentinian cities. Passenger and freight transport were considered as part of the mobility system. Information was gathered through origin/destination surveys and data provided by freight companies with urban destinations. According to the results of a research project, 36.98% of the population in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires produces 70.12% of all CO2 emissions. All 19 Argentinian cities with 200,000 inhabitants (30.82% of the population) produce 15.18% of emissions. The remaining 32.19% of population living in cities with less than 200,000 inhabitants generates 14.70% of emissions. This difference enables planners to identify potential GHG mitigation areas. This research aimed at identifying those behaviours which determine local environmental situations as well as those potential changes in behavioural patterns which could lead to a higher GHG-reduction efficiency in major urban agglomerations. The distribution of emission data also varies according to transport type with the predominance of private transportation, which accounted for 68.56% of CO2 emissions; public passenger transport accounted for 18.72%, freight transportation for 11.69% and service transportation for only 1.03%.