01088645

Component

The transportation sector is one the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for 28 percent of national emissions in 2005. As states and local governments attempt to reduce emissions of GHGs that contribute to climate change, they are increasingly interested in understanding the linkages between transportation activities and GHG emissions. Because there are no regulations addressing GHG emissions from transportation sources – California being the notable exception – state departments of transportation (DOTs), metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and other transportation agencies have limited experience analyzing the GHG emissions impacts of transportation plans and projects. Developing credible baseline information is a critical first step in addressing GHG emissions from transportation activities at any level. Policymakers and planners may also be unfamiliar with available tools and techniques to facilitate analyses of GHG impacts for various policy options. Moreover, some transportation agencies are concerned that the available techniques may not be sufficient to conduct the types of analyses necessary to strategically address GHG emissions at the project, local, and regional levels. This paper summarizes the findings of a recent project for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) that involved identification and review of 17 tools or methods available to analyze the GHG implications of transportation projects. It identifies the tools most suitable for four kinds of transportation/GHG analyses: state-level transportation GHG inventory development; state-level transportation GHG inventory projections; regional transportation plan or program analysis; and transportation project and strategy-specific analyses. In addition, this paper summarizes the gaps identified in existing methodologies.

01084478

08-2688

English

28p

2008

Transportation Research Board 87th Annual Meeting

DVD

Figures (4) ; References; Tables (2)

Climate change; Environment; Exhaust gases; Global warming; Greenhouse gases; Metropolitan planning organizations; Pollutants; Pollution control

Transportation projects

Energy; Environment; Highways; Public Transportation; I15: Environment

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2008 Paper #08-2688

TRIS, TRB

Jan 29 2008 5:08PM