Environmental Efficiency in Transportation Systems
Summary
Environmental efficiency in transportation systems refers to the maximisation of mobility and economic value while minimising energy consumption, pollutant emissions and resource depletion. As transport accounts for a substantial share of global greenhouse-gas outputs and urban air pollutants, enhancing the eco-efficiency of vehicles, infrastructures and logistics chains is critical for climate mitigation and public health. Progress rests upon methodological advances in efficiency measurement, integrated modelling of energy, environmental and socioeconomic variables, and the deployment of low-carbon technologies such as electrification, hydrogen fuel cells and sustainable biofuels. Data-driven approaches now combine non-parametric techniques with directional distance functions to capture both desirable outputs (passenger-kilometres, freight-tonnes) and undesirable externalities (CO₂, NOx, noise). Geographic and modal heterogeneity demand sector-specific benchmarks, from municipal bus fleets to transcontinental rail corridors, while spatial econometrics illuminates the diffusion of innovations across regions. Policy frameworks—ranging from emissions standards and carbon pricing to urban-design incentives—must be underpinned by robust indicators of environmental efficiency and convergence analysis to ensure that improvements are equitable and aligned with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.
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Environmental Efficiency in Transportation Systems publication trend
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Technical terms
Environmental efficiency: Ratio of useful transport outputs to combined energy use and environmental impact.
Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA): Non-parametric method for evaluating relative efficiency of decision-making units.
Undesirable outputs: Harmful by-products of production processes, such as greenhouse-gas emissions and noise.
Directional distance function: Efficiency metric that simultaneously expands desirable outputs and contracts undesirable ones.
Spillover effect: Transmission of benefits or innovations from one region or sector to neighbouring areas.
Siphon effect: Concentration of efficiency gains in certain regions, reducing potential benefits for others.
TOPSIS: Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution, a multicriteria ranking method.
References
- The impact of technological innovation on transport carbon emission efficiency in China: Spillover effect or siphon effect?. Frontiers in Public Health (2022).
- Environmental Efficiency Measurement and Convergence Analysis of Interprovincial Road Transport in China. Sustainability (2020).
- Evaluation of Energy-Environment Efficiency of European Transport Sectors: Non-Radial DEA and TOPSIS Approach. Energies (2019).
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