Mitigating climate change through sustainable mobility : a framework for developing low-carbon transport policies

Abstract

Climate change mitigation and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have become one of the most important global challenges. Transport is one of the sectors that contribute significantly to GHG emissions. It is one of the few sectors where emissions have continued to grow. Road transport is the largest contributor within the transport sector and further growth in the demand for personal transport is forecasted as the world population continues to grow. Despite the significant contribution of transport, the sector has taken a relatively low profile when it comes to emission reduction. Transition to more sustainable travel is proving to be difficult to achieve, and if the climate change mitigation targets are to be reached, alternative and trend-breaking transport futures are required. This research adopted a Theory of Social Practice as the conceptual framework for analysis to understand what type of alternative transport policies could lead to a significant reduction in the levels of emissions. To explore these alternatives, a backcasting framework was used which enabled visioning of these alternative and design of pathways to reach them. This framework and the impact of perspectives from the Theory of Social Practice on climate transport policies was tested in a case-study approach. This research was focused on the case of Malta which presents a setting with high population density and a high car-dependency and a case where transition to more sustainable forms of transport has proved to be challenging. The aim of the research was to analyse how a transition to low-carbon mobility can help to achieve climate change mitigation targets. This aim was reached through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodological tools which served to i) provide a picture of the current situation in terms of mobility practices; ii) develop alternative transport and more sustainable futures for Malta; iii) test the potential of these futures to limit emissions; iii) design policies which can lead to these futures. Mobility practices in Malta were found to be dominated by the reliance on the car. These results were further complimented with other findings on the current travel conditions in the case study. Survey data revealed that the demand for travel and travel choices are shaped by the range of activities and daily routines of the inhabitants of the islands. Participation of a range of stakeholders in the visioning of alternative futures provided a space for discussions and brought together different ideas about what a sustainable transport future in Malta would look like. The results of the transport modelling exercise showed how significant emission reduction from transport is challenging and achieving the climate change mitigation targets might need an integrated approach and a mix of alternatives. The results of the research show how designing transport policies using concepts from the Theory of Social Practice can provide a broader range of influence and can help to provide insights into how transport choices can be influenced by interventions in non-transport sectors. The findings and recommendations of this study contribute to a better understanding of how transport policy making can benefit from social science perspectives and emerging theories, such as the Theory of Social Practice. The results of this research and how the analysis mobility and other everyday social practices could open new possibilities for the transition towards more sustainable transport futures.