Scarinci, R., Rast, F., and Bierlaire, M. (2017)

Needed reduction in mobility energy consumption to meet the goal of a 2000-watt society, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 101:133-148.

Greenhouse gas emissions related to energy production is the main cause of climate change. Transportation accounts for 30% of the total energy consumption, and a reduction in the energy used for mobility is necessary. The 2000-watt society is an environmental concept that fixes a sustainable limit to the energy consumption in different sectors, including mobility. This paper evaluates the energy consumption in several mobility scenarios, and it assesses whether the goal suggested by the 2000-watt society is achievable. We investigate the social characteristics and travel habits of the population living in a case study area. Then, we calculate the modal shift induced by transportation policies such as car-sharing, car-pooling and car-free district. We evaluate the resulting energy consumption, and we compare it with the 2000-watt society limit. We conclude that only a set of measures combining car usage reduction, increase in walking and cycling, and reduction in the total travel distance can achieve the needed energy reduction.

doi:10.1016/j.tra.2017.05.010 (click here for the full paper)