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Associations of individual, household and environmental characteristics with carbon dioxide emissions from motorised passenger travel

Associations of individual, household and environmental characteristics with carbon dioxide emissions from motorised passenger travel
Associations of individual, household and environmental characteristics with carbon dioxide emissions from motorised passenger travel
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from motorised travel are hypothesised to be associated with individual, household, spatial and other environmental factors. Little robust evidence exists on who contributes most (and least) to travel CO2 and, in particular, the factors influencing commuting, business, shopping and social travel CO2. This paper examines whether and how demographic, socio-economic and other personal and environmental characteristics are associated with land-based passenger transport and associated CO2 emissions. Primary data were collected from 3474 adults using a newly developed survey instrument in the iConnect study in the UK. The participants reported their past-week travel activity and vehicle characteristics from which CO2 emissions were derived using an adapted travel emissions profiling method. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were used to examine what characteristics predicted higher CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions from motorised travel were distributed highly unequally, with the top fifth of participants producing more than two fifth of emissions. Car travel dominated overall CO2 emissions, making up 90% of the total. The strongest independent predictors of CO2 emissions were owning at least one car, being in full-time employment and having a home-work distance of more than 10 km. Income, education and tenure were also strong univariable predictors of CO2 emissions, but seemed to be further back on the causal pathway than having a car. Male gender, late-middle age, living in a rural area and having access to a bicycle also showed significant but weaker associations with emissions production. The findings may help inform the development of climate change mitigation policies for the transport sector. Targeting individuals and households with high car ownership, focussing on providing viable alternatives to commuting by car, and supporting planning and other policies that reduce commuting distances may provide an equitable and efficient approach to meeting carbon mitigation targets
0306-2619
158-169
Brand, Christian
97238842-6ab7-4b95-8b88-1d36998725de
Goodman, Anna
9a327c3d-163f-4659-b24b-8b04ef6f7625
Rutter, Harry
afa16426-2dad-4db8-87a1-87ff4ad4d03b
Song, Yena
b2925eb5-6dd5-4970-a36a-8167958c48ba
Ogilvie, David
7cf59095-33d6-408b-8473-039c9e2eabe8
Brand, Christian
97238842-6ab7-4b95-8b88-1d36998725de
Goodman, Anna
9a327c3d-163f-4659-b24b-8b04ef6f7625
Rutter, Harry
afa16426-2dad-4db8-87a1-87ff4ad4d03b
Song, Yena
b2925eb5-6dd5-4970-a36a-8167958c48ba
Ogilvie, David
7cf59095-33d6-408b-8473-039c9e2eabe8

Brand, Christian, Goodman, Anna, Rutter, Harry, Song, Yena and Ogilvie, David (2013) Associations of individual, household and environmental characteristics with carbon dioxide emissions from motorised passenger travel. Applied Energy, 104, 158-169. (doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.11.001).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from motorised travel are hypothesised to be associated with individual, household, spatial and other environmental factors. Little robust evidence exists on who contributes most (and least) to travel CO2 and, in particular, the factors influencing commuting, business, shopping and social travel CO2. This paper examines whether and how demographic, socio-economic and other personal and environmental characteristics are associated with land-based passenger transport and associated CO2 emissions. Primary data were collected from 3474 adults using a newly developed survey instrument in the iConnect study in the UK. The participants reported their past-week travel activity and vehicle characteristics from which CO2 emissions were derived using an adapted travel emissions profiling method. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were used to examine what characteristics predicted higher CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions from motorised travel were distributed highly unequally, with the top fifth of participants producing more than two fifth of emissions. Car travel dominated overall CO2 emissions, making up 90% of the total. The strongest independent predictors of CO2 emissions were owning at least one car, being in full-time employment and having a home-work distance of more than 10 km. Income, education and tenure were also strong univariable predictors of CO2 emissions, but seemed to be further back on the causal pathway than having a car. Male gender, late-middle age, living in a rural area and having access to a bicycle also showed significant but weaker associations with emissions production. The findings may help inform the development of climate change mitigation policies for the transport sector. Targeting individuals and households with high car ownership, focussing on providing viable alternatives to commuting by car, and supporting planning and other policies that reduce commuting distances may provide an equitable and efficient approach to meeting carbon mitigation targets

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 2 November 2012
e-pub ahead of print date: 17 December 2012
Published date: April 2013
Organisations: Transportation Group

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 347149
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/347149
ISSN: 0306-2619
PURE UUID: e197976d-1725-4e89-ab34-8778da3d7eae

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Date deposited: 17 Jan 2013 15:05
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 12:46

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Contributors

Author: Christian Brand
Author: Anna Goodman
Author: Harry Rutter
Author: Yena Song
Author: David Ogilvie

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