The Most Sustainable Kind of Travel? Staying at Home

By Christina VANSLETTE

After decades of steady growth of greenhouse gas emissions from transport, making up one fourth of global emissions (UN 2021), a bundle of policies arrived on the world stage that would create an unprecedented radical drop in transport-related emissions. From averaging a yearly 1.6% growth in emissions from transport (Climate Watch 2017), these policies would cause emissions to drop by 13.5% (EEA 2023). The policies contained no stipulations about renewable fuels, congestion pricing, or even communal transport – so how was it possible?

Due to a global ban on international travel, the closure of schools and non-essential workplaces, lockdowns and curfews in response to the COVID 19 pandemic.

Despite the arguable environmental success of these mobility restrictions, the social and economic consequences mean that such policies are not viable solutions. Though emissions from transport are expected to return to 2019 levels by 2025 (and continue their growth from there) (EEA 2023), there may be a lesson to be learned from COVID-era mobility restrictions – the power of demand-side policies in transportation sustainability.

In the European Commission’s action plan to actualise the goal set out by the European Green Deal of reducing transport-related emissions by 90% in 2050, 0 out of the 82 initiatives put forward seek to reduce demand for transportation, and instead all focus on making transportation more energy efficient, accessible, and “smart” (EC 2021). In transportation policy today, the fact of transportation demand is taken as a given, and a factor that is influenced by chance rather than by intentional policy choices. For instance, in the “Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy”, the sole mention of transport demand is that “mobility patterns and consumer behavior are changing… reinforced by the COVID-19 pandemic and are being facilitated by digital solutions” (EC 2021). This passive language represents the existing attitude of the vast majority of policymakers toward transport demand – it is regarded as a phenomenon that evolves independently of policy.

However, influencing demand is no different than the behavioral economics influencing consumer choice of mode. Some potential policies that have been proposed, studied, and occasionally piloted : the promotion of teleworking and the provision of public coworking spaces, “15 minute city” urban design that favors work study and leisure locally, price tools that make locally-produced goods more affordable and accessible, and a reduced workweek. The policy initiatives could also include incentivisation for businesses to subsidize housing for workers within walking distance to their jobs, and zoning that discourages “residential islands” that are disconnected from commerce and public space.

Not only are policies of this kind possible, but they are necessary. Even if there is a complete transition to vehicles fueled by renewable energy, the continued increase in demand for transportation will require that this decarbonization happens at an unprecedented, and arguably impossible, rate. The longer decarbonization is delayed, the more challenging it will be due the many positive feedback loops that propel climate change. Therefore a reduction in demand, especially transportation demand, is the only feasible way to avoid the vast overshot of the 1.5 degree target for global warming.

Bibliography

Climate Watch (2017). Climate Watch Historical Country Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data. https://www.climatewatchdata.org/ghg-emissions?breakBy=sector&end_year=2017&gases=co2&sectors=transportation&start_year=1990

European Commission (EC) (2021). Sustainable & Smart Mobility Strategy. https://transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/be22d311-4a07-4c29-8b72-d6d255846069_en?filename=2021-mobility-strategy-and-action-plan.pdf

European Environment Agency (EEA) (2023). Greenhouse gas emissions from transport in Europe. https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-transport

United Nations (2021). Sustainable Transport Conference 2021, Fact Sheet Climate Change. https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/media_gstc/FACT_SHEET_Climate_Change.pdf