Carbon Emissions Assessment in Transportation Systems
Summary
Carbon emissions from transportation account for approximately a quarter of global greenhouse gases, encompassing both direct exhaust outputs and upstream emissions from fuel production. Assessment approaches include tank-to-wheel analysis of operational emissions, well-to-wheel evaluations that incorporate fuel lifecycle, and full life-cycle assessments covering vehicle manufacture, infrastructure development and end-of-life recycling. Integrative modelling frameworks combine transport demand forecasts, energy consumption profiles and emission factors to simulate scenarios under varying policy, technological and behavioural assumptions. Key metrics such as carbon intensity, embodied carbon and decoupling indices enable quantification of emissions relative to economic growth and mobility trends. Advances in remote sensing, big-data analytics and scenario modelling have enhanced the granularity of emission inventories, informing targeted mitigation strategies at local, regional and national levels. Practical applications range from the appraisal of low-carbon vehicle technologies and regulatory standards to infrastructure planning and modal-shift incentives, all contributing to harmonised efforts towards climate targets and sustainable transport networks.
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Carbon Emissions Assessment in Transportation Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in carbon emissions assessment in transportation systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Life-cycle assessment (LCA): A systematic method for quantifying environmental impacts of a product or system across all stages from raw material extraction through end-of-life disposal.
Tank-to-wheel: Operational emissions generated by fuel combustion during vehicle use.
Well-to-wheel: Combined emissions from fuel extraction, processing, distribution and vehicle operation.
Embodied carbon: Greenhouse gas emissions associated with manufacturing, construction and end-of-life stages of vehicles and infrastructure.
Vehicle-kilometre (VKM): A unit of transport activity representing one vehicle travelling one kilometre, used to estimate emissions based on distance travelled.
References
- Pathways for reducing carbon emissions in county-level transportation: A life cycle perspective and multi-scenario analysis. Energy Strategy Reviews (2025).
- Projection of Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the Road Transport Sector Based on Multivariate Regression and the Double Exponential Smoothing Model. Sustainability (2020).
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